40 Pharmacology 5: Therapy of Pulmonary Vascular Disease Flashcards
Challenges for the pharmacological treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)
- PAH can be caused by…
- Challenges for PAH management
- Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)
- Elevated mean pulmonary vascular pressure (>25 mm Hg)
- Normal pulmonary capillary or left arterial pressure (<15 mm Hg)
- PAH can be caused by…
- An isolated increase in pulmonary arterial pressure
- Increases in both pulmonary arterial and pulmonary venous pressure
- Challenges for PAH management
- The asymptomatic aspects of PAH
- The complexity of differential diagnosis
- Involvement of coexistent cardiopulmonary disease
- The relative small patient population
Brief review of pulmonary vascular structure, endothelial function, and pharmacological targets for PAH
- The pulmonary vascular bed
- The pulmonary circulation has a remarkable capacity to…
- Vasoactive regulation
- Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction results from…
- Although contraction of vascular smooth muscle narrows pulmonary vessels, the pulmonary endothelium signals
- In PAH, there is…
- The pulmonary vascular bed
- A high-flow, low-resistance circuit
- Can accommodate the entire cardiac output at a pressure that is normally less than 20% of the pressure in the systemic circulation
- The pulmonary circulation has a remarkable capacity to…
- Regulate its vascular tone to adapt to physiologic changes
- Vasoactive regulation
- Plays an important role in the local regulation of blood flow in relation to ventilation (V/Q matching)
- Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction results from…
- Inhibition of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle K+ channel conductance, leading to cellular depolarization and an influx of Ca2+ ions through voltage-gated calcium channels
- Although contraction of vascular smooth muscle narrows pulmonary vessels, the pulmonary endothelium signals
- Muscular contraction
- In PAH, there is…
- Media thickening and hypertrophy, resulting in development of a muscle layer in an arteriole
- The resulting chronic vasoconstriction and fibroblast proliferation leads to the
initiation of remodeling in the intimal and medial layers of the arteriole
Brief review of pulmonary vascular structure, endothelial function, and pharmacological targets for PAH
- The central role of the endothelium
- Vasodilation follows…
- Vasoconctriction follows…
- Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF)
- Production of NO
- In addition to NO, the endothelial cell produces…
- The endothelial cell catalyzes…
- ET-1
- These vasoactive molecules act…
- The central role of the endothelium
- Regulating vascular smooth muscle action
- Vasodilation follows…
- Acetylcholine or carbachol treatment
- Vasoconctriction follows…
- Vascular endothelium being stripped or removed from the preparation
-
Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF)
- Short-lived vasodilator substance
- Promoted relaxation of precontracted smooth muscle preparations
- Subsequently discovered to be nitric oxide (NO)
- Production of NO
- Stimulation allows products of inflammation and platelet aggregation (e.g., serotonin, histamine, bradykinin, purines and thrombin) to exert all or
part of their actions - Diffuses to smooth muscle cells, where it activates soluble guanylyl cyclase to generate cGMP that leads to smooth muscle relaxation
- Stimulation allows products of inflammation and platelet aggregation (e.g., serotonin, histamine, bradykinin, purines and thrombin) to exert all or
- In addition to NO, the endothelial cell produces…
- Other vasodilators, including prostacycline (PGl2)
- Vasoconstrictors, such as endothelin 1 (ET-1) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2)
- The endothelial cell catalyzes…
- The conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II
- ET-1
- The most potent known vasoconstrictor
- Causes prolonged vasoconstriction and increases vascular tone, increasing pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR)
- Mediated by ET receptors
- These vasoactive molecules act…
- On local vascular smooth muscle, mostly in a paracrine fashion
- TXA2 also stimulates platelet aggregation, which can result in in situ thrombosis and increased PVR
Pharmacology of pulmonary hypertension
- Underlying physiological issues that limit the pharmacological options in PAH
- Pulmonary hypertension results from…
- Limiting right ventricular cardiac output…
- Patients with pulmonary hypertension frequently…
- Agents that might dilate the pulmonary vasculature…
- There are differences in…
- Underlying physiological issues that limit the pharmacological options in PAH
- Pulmonary hypertension results from loss of normal cross-sectional area of the pulmonary vasculature
- This loss of capacitance may limit right ventricular cardiac output
- The physiologic effect is similar to that of aortic stenosis
- Limiting right ventricular cardiac output limits left ventricular cardiac output
- The left ventricle cannot pump more blood than it receives
- The reduction in biventricular cardiac output underlies the unique difficulties in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension
- Pulmonary hypertension results from loss of normal cross-sectional area of the pulmonary vasculature
- Patients with pulmonary hypertension frequently…
- Have low systemic blood pressure
- Cannot tolerate agents that lead to systemic vasodilation
- Agents that might dilate the pulmonary vasculature…
- Often act more prominently on the systemic vasculature
- Endothelial cells in both the pulmonary and systemic circulation share many of the similar receptors and produce the same vasoactive molecules
- There are differences in…
- Receptor type and density
- The quantitative production of vasoactive molecules in different vascular beds
Specific agents:
Nitric oxide:
Chemistry, synthesis, and mechanism of action
- Chemistry
- Synthesis
- Mechanism of Action
- Chemistry
- Hhighly diffusible, colorless, odorless, stable gas composed of one atom each of nitrogen and oxygen
- Available as a gaseous blend of nitric oxide (0.8%) and nitrogen (99.2%)
- Synthesis
- Synthesized from L-arginine by a family of three heme-containing enzymes that are collectively called nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
- One form: endothelial NOS
- Constitutive
- Resides in the endothelium
- Synthesizes NO over short periods in response to receptor-mediated increases in cellular Ca2+
- Mechanism of Action
- NO relaxes vascular smooth muscle by binding to the heme moiety of cytosolic guanylate cyclase
- Activates guanylate cyclase
- Increases intracellular levels of cGMP
- Leads to vasodilation
Specific agents:
Nitric oxide:
Absorption, distribution, and metabolism
- NO is absorbed systemically after…
- At this level of oxygen saturation, nitric oxide combines predominantly with…
- At low oxygen saturation, nitric oxide can combine with…
- The rapid binding to and inactivated by hemoglobin provide…
- Because NO is administered by inhalation, the vasodilation occurs in…
- The half life of NO is…
- Administration requires…
- Because of these limitations, the use of NO is limited to patients…
- Inhaled NO may also be used diagnostically in…
- Nitrate
- NO is absorbed systemically after…
- Inhalation and traverses the pulmonary capillary bed where it combines with hemoglobin that is 60-100% oxygen-saturated
- At this level of oxygen saturation, nitric oxide combines predominantly with…
- Oxyhemoglobin to produce methemoglobin and nitrate (NO3-)
- At low oxygen saturation, nitric oxide can combine with…
- Deoxyhemoglobin to transiently form nitrosylhemoglobin, which is converted to nitrogen oxides and methemoglobin upon exposure to oxygen
- The rapid binding to and inactivated by hemoglobin provide…
- The inhaled gas to exhibit selective pulmonary vasodilation
- Because NO is administered by inhalation, the vasodilation occurs in…
- Alveolar units that are well ventilated, so V/Q matching and systemic oxygenation tend to improve
- The half life of NO is…
- Between 2-6 seconds
- Administration requires…
- A pressurized delivery system with extensive monitoring and backup power, as abrupt discontinuance may lead to rebound pulmonary hypertension
- Because of these limitations, the use of NO is limited to patients…
- In the intensive care unit, primarily neonates with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
- Inhaled NO may also be used diagnostically in…
- Adults with pulmonary hypertension to identify the subset with vascular reactivity
- Nitrate
- The predominant nitric oxide metabolite excreted in the urine, accounting for >70% of the nitric oxide dose inhaled
- Cleared from the plasma by the kidney at rates approaching the rate of glomerular filtration
Prostacyclin analogs:
Eicosinoids
- Such as prostacyclin (PGI2)
- Derived from arachadonic acid and other 20- carbon fatty acids when phospholipase A2 is activated by injury or other stimuli
Prostacyclin analogs:
Epoprostenol:
Chemistry, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
- Chemistry
- Absorption and distribution
- Administrated …
- Half-life
- Must be delivered into…
- Requires…
- Hydrolysis
- Degradation
- Metabolism
- Elimination
- Chemistry
- PGI2, a naturally occurring prostaglandin
- Absorption and distribution
- Administrated IV
- Half-life in human blood of ~6 minutes
- Must be delivered into the central venous circulation to achieve selective pulmonary vasodilation
- Requires a chronic indwelling central venous catheter and a portable infusion pump
- Rapidly hydrolyzed at neutral pH in blood
- Subject to enzymatic degradation
- Metabolism
- Metabolized to two primary inactive metabolites, which are essentially inactive
- Fourteen additional minor metabolites have been isolated from urine, indicating that epoprostenol is extensively metabolized in humans
- Elimination
- Urinary elimination accounts for 90% of the administered compound
Prostacyclin analogs:
Epoprostenol:
Toxicity and mechanism of action
- Toxicity
- Abrupt withdrawal of epoprostenol may lead to…
- Other adverse effects
- Less common, but potentially more serious complications
- 2 major pharmacological mechanisms of actions
- Toxicity
- Abrupt withdrawal of epoprostenol may lead to rebound pulmonary vasoconstriction
- At least one death has been attributed to a sudden interruption of epoprostenol therapy
- Other adverse effects (in descending order of prevalence)
- Dizziness, headache, jaw pain, flushing, diarrhea, tachycardia, and anxiety
- Less common, but potentially more serious complications
- Thrombocytopenia and sepsis related to the indwelling catheter
- Abrupt withdrawal of epoprostenol may lead to rebound pulmonary vasoconstriction
- 2 major pharmacological mechanisms of actions
- Direct vasodilation of pulmonary and systemic arterial vascular beds
- Inhibition of platelet aggregation
Prostacyclin analogs:
Treprostinil:
Chemistry, toxicity, and mechanism of action
- Chemistry
- Toxicity
- Mechanism of action
- Chemistry
- Analog of PGI2
- Toxicity
- Other adverse effects are similar to those experienced with epoprostenol
- Include flushing, nausea, diarrhea, jaw pain, and headache
- Mechanism of action
- Like epoprostenol, the major pharmacological actions of treprostinil are…
- Direct vasodilation of pulmonary and systemic arterial vascular beds
- Inhibition of platelet aggregation
- Like epoprostenol, the major pharmacological actions of treprostinil are…
Prostacyclin analogs:
Treprostinil:
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
- Absoprtion
- Absorbed after…
- Bioavailability
- Distribution
- Steady-tate concentrations
- Volume of distribution
- Half-life
- Access site
- At the infusion site
- Metabolism
- Location
- Metabolites
- Elimination
- Absoprtion
- Relatively rapidly and completely absorbed after subcutaneous infusion using a pump system
- Absolute bioavailability approximating 100%
- Distribution
- Steady-state concentrations occurred in ~10 hours
- The volume of distribution of the drug in the central compartment is approximately 14 L/70 kg ideal body weight
- Has a half-life of 2-4 hours
- The longer half-life means that pump malfunction, or accidental dislodgement of the infusion catheter are less serous for patients using treprostinil than for those receiving epoprostenol
- The access site must be moved every 2 or 3 days
- 85% of patients experience pain at the infusion site, which is intolerable in some (<10% in reported trials)
- Metabolism
- Substantially metabolized by the liver
- Five metabolites
- Elimination
- Biphasic, with ~ 80% of an administered dose being excreted in the urine: 5% unchanged drug
- Approximately 10% of a dose is excreted in the feces
Prostacyclin analogs:
Iloprost:
Chemistry, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
- Chemistry
- Absorption, distribution, and metabolism
- Hemodynamic effects last…
- Administered via…
- Volume of distribution at steady-state
- Oxidized to…
- Elimination
- Chemistry
- Synthetic analog of prostacyclin
- 50:50 mixture of the 4R and 4S (active) diastereomers
- Absorption, distribution, and metabolism
- The hemodynamic effects last 30-60 minutes
- Administered via drug aerosol 6 or 9 times daily
- Volume of distribution at steady-state is 0.7 to 0.8 L/kg, following intravenous infusion
- Oxidized to an inactive metabolite, which is found in the urine
- Elimination
- ~70% of the drug is eliminated in the urine
- ~10% of a dose is excreted in the feces
Prostacyclin analogs:
Iloprost:
Toxicity and mechanism of action
- Toxicity
- Mechanism of action
- Major pharmacological actions
- Improvement in patient performance
- Two diastereoisomers
- Toxicity
- Complications of therapy include flushing, jaw pain, and syncope
- Generally less pronounced than seen with epoprostenol infusions
- Mechanism of action
- Like epoprostenol, the major pharmacological actions are…
- Direct vasodilation of pulmonary and systemic arterial vascular beds
- Inhibition of platelet aggregation
- The improvement in patient performance is statistically significant but physiologically modest
- The two diastereoisomers of iloprost, 4S and 4R isomer differ in potency in dilating blood vessels
- 4S isomer is substantially more potent than the 4R isomer
- Like epoprostenol, the major pharmacological actions are…
Endothelin antagonists: Endothelin 1 (ET-1)
- Form of endothelium
- The synthesis is regulated by…
- Derived from…
- Dose-dependence
- When infused intravenously, ET-1 causes…
- The depressor response results from…
- The pressor response is due to…
- Other actions
- Potent mitogen for…
- Neurohormone effects are mediated by…
- ET-1 concentrations are elevated in…
- Predominant form secreted by the endothelium
- The synthesis is regulated both by positive and negative factors
- Derived from a 212 amino acid precursor protein known as prepro-ET-1 or big ET-1
- Dose-dependent paracrine or autocrine vasoconstriction in most vascular beds
- When infused intravenously, ET-1 causes a rapid and transient decrease arterial blood pressure, followed by a prolonged increase
- The depressor response results from release of prostacyclin and NO from the vascular endothelium
- The pressor response is due to direct constriction of vascular smooth muscle
- Other actions
- Bronchial smooth muscle constriction
- Positive chronotropic and inotropic cardiac effects
- Tenal vasoconstriction leading to decreases in salt and water excretion
- Potent mitogen for…
- Vascular smooth muscle cells
- Cardiac myocytes
- Glomerular mesangial cells
- Neurohormone effects are mediated by…
- Binding to ETA and ETB receptors in the endothelium and vascular smooth muscle
- ET-1 concentrations are elevated in…
- Plasma and lung tissue of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
- Suggests a pathogenic role for ET-1 in this disease
Endothelin antagonists
- The endothelin receptors, ETA and ETB
- ETA
- Affinity
- Location
- Mediates…
- ETB
- Affinity
- Location
- Mediates…
- The signal transduction mechanisms triggered by binding of ET-1 to ETA receptors lead to…
- Because the ET-1 is such a potent vasoconstrictor, there has been considerable interest in developing inhibitors of the ET receptor for disorders including…
- The endothelin receptors, ETA and ETB
- Have different distributions
- Use different signal transduction pathways to yield distinct effects
- ETA
- Has high affinity for ET-1
- Found primarily on smooth muscle cells
- Mediates vasoconstriction
- ETB
- Has equal affinity for ET-1 and ET-3
- Is located primarily on vascular endothelial cells
- Mediates the release of prostacyclin and NO
- The signal transduction mechanisms triggered by binding of ET-1 to ETA receptors lead to…
- An increase in intracellular calcium concentration by several mechanisms
- Because the ET-1 is such a potent vasoconstrictor, there has been considerable interest in developing inhibitors of the ET receptor for disorders including…
- Systemic hypertension, PAH, heart failure and renal disease