Pharmacological analysis of drug interactions of disopyramide and its congeners with peripheral muscarinic acetylcholine receptors

The interactions of the antiarrhythmic agents, disopyramide (D) and its congeners, pirmenol (Pr) and pentisomide (Pt), with peripheral muscarinic receptors (m-AchR) were investigated using binding and functional assays. D, Pr and Pt inhibited the specific binding of [3H]-N-methyl scopolamine ([3H]-NMS) to membrane fractions prepared from guinea pig left atria (LA), submandibular glands (SG) and urinary bladders (UB) in a concentration-dependent manner. Computer-assisted analysis showed that the displacement curves with D obtained from LA and UB were shallow and best fitted by a two-site model, whereas D interacted with a single class of binding sites in SG. Kinetic experiments measuring [3H]-NMS dissociation revealed the existence of allosteric interaction of D with m-AChR, and it might be responsible for the low affinity components of the displacement curves in LA and UB. The pKi values for D in high-affinity receptor sites in LA and UB (pKH) were very close to the pKi for D obtained in SG, and corresponded well to the pA2 values of around 6.0 for antagonism against the carbachol-induced mechanical responses of LA and UB. Pt interacted with m-AChR with qualitatively very similar fashion to that of D, but its potency was very weak (1/10 of D). Pr interacted with a single class of binding sites in LA and SG with pKi of 6.02 and 5.18, respectively, indicating that the affinity of Pr to glandular m-AChR (M3) was 7 fold lower than that to cardiac one (M2). The displacement curve with Pr in UB was best fitted by a two-site model with pKH of 5.93 and pKL of 5.20. The pA2 for Pr in LA and UB were 6.47 and 5.55, respectively, suggesting the existence of a mixed population of M2 and M3 in UB and the contribution of M3 to its contractile response. It is concluded that Pr is able to distinguish M2 from M3, and that D and Pt have almost similar affinity to both subtypes of m-AChR. Pr was less potent than D in interaction with M3.