Evidence for human thromboxane receptor heterogeneity using a novel series of 9,11-cyclic carbonate derivatives of prostaglandin F2α

Abstract
1 The pharmacological activity of a novel series of 9,11-cyclic carbonate derivatives of prostaglandin F (PGF) was investigated in various isolated smooth muscle preparations possessing different prostanoid receptor subtypes as well as in human platelets. Since subdivision of thromboxane (TP-) receptors into vascular/smooth muscle and platelet subtypes is a controversial subject, our studies included a human smooth muscle preparation (myometrium) in addition to the widely used rat aorta and human platelets as TP-receptor preparations. 2 Two members of that series, AGN191976 and AGN192093 were found to be highly potent and selective thromboxane-mimetics. AGN191976 and AGN192093 contracted isolated tissues of the rat thoracic aorta with EC50 values of 0.32±0.08 and 1.30±0.53 nM, respectively. Both agonists were at least 10 times more potent than the benchmark TP-agonist, U-46619, in this preparation, whilst being at least 500 times less potent at other prostanoid receptors (DP, EP1, EP3, FP, IP) in vitro. 3 In human myometrial strips from pregnant and non-pregnant donors, both AGN191976 and AGN192093 were potent contractile agonists. The rank order of potency in myometrium of AGN191976>AGN192093>U-46619 correlated well with that in the rat aorta. In human plateletrich plasma (PRP), however, AGN191976 had potent proaggregatory activity (EC50=16.3±1.4 nM), which is a TP-receptor-mediated event, whereas AGN192093 was a much weaker agonist (EC50= 37.9±2.0 μm). AGN192093 did not behave as an antagonist in the platelets, since it did not antagonize platelet aggregation induced by ADP, arachidonic acid, U-46619 or AGN191976. In human washed platelets, the activity profile of AGN191976 (EC50=4.15±0.52 nM) and AGN192093 (no aggregation up to 10 μm) was similar to that obtained in PRP. 4 The involvement of TP-receptors was verified with the potent TP-antagonist, SQ29548. SQ29548 (0.1 μm in myometrium; 1 μm in aorta; 1 μm and 10 μm in platelets) antagonized responses to U-46619, AGN191976 and AGN192093 as expected. 5 In conclusion, AGN191976 and AGN192093, both 9,11-cyclic carbonate derivatives of PGF, were found to be highly potent and selective thromboxane-mimetics in rat vascular and human myometrial smooth muscle. However, only AGN 191976 was a potent agonist at TP-receptors in human platelets. The differential activity of AGN192093 on TP-receptor-mediated events in platelets and smooth muscle provides further evidence for a subdivision of TP-receptors. AGN192093 appears to be a useful tool for the pharmacological distinction of TP-receptor subtypes.