Abstract
SummaryThe calcium antagonists prenylamine and fendiline both bind with rather low affinity to the dihydropyridine (nifedipine) binding site. As calmodulin (CaM) antagonists, they both inhibit CaM-dependent enzymes and relax smooth muscle preparation in nearly the same concentration range. If compared with other calcium antagonists, their action on smooth muscle develops rather slowly and cannot be inhibited by the calcium agonist Bay k 8644. In contrast, basic pharmacology reveals major differences of the actions of prenylamine and fendiline in heart muscle, indicating that, after all, the change in structure close to the asymmetric carbon strongly influences the molecular action of the compounds and their respective isomers. The negative inotropic effect of racemic prenylamine is rather independent of stimulation rate, whereas fendiline preferably depresses contraction at high rate stimulation. The negative inotropic potencies are determined by the (—)-isomers, but only in the case of prenylamine the is...

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