Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
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J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. · Apr 2001
Levosimendan increases diastolic coronary flow in isolated guinea-pig heart by opening ATP-sensitive potassium channels.
Levosimendan, a novel calcium sensitizer developed for the treatment of acute heart failure, is an inodilator that increases coronary flow. Because it was recently shown that levosimendan stimulates potassium current through K(ATP) channels in isolated rat arterial cells, our aim was to assess whether the levosimendan-induced increase in coronary flow is due to the opening of the K(ATP) channels in coronary smooth muscle. The effect of levosimendan on the diastolic coronary flow velocity (DCFV) was measured in the Langendorff perfused spontaneously beating guinea-pig heart in the absence and presence of glibenclamide. ⋯ The results indicate that levosimendan induced coronary vasodilation through the opening of the K(ATP) channels. Levosimendan and pinacidil probably have different binding sites on the K(ATP) channels. The additive effect of bisindolylmaleimide and levosimendan on the increase of DCFV suggests that the latter binds to the unphosphorylated form of the channel.
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J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. · Apr 2001
ReviewVascular protective effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and their relation to clinical events.
Endothelial cells are a rich source of a variety of vasoactive substances, which either cause vasodilation or vasoconstriction. Important endothelium-derived vasodilators are prostacyclin, bradykinin, nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor. In particular, nitric oxide inhibits cellular growth and migration. ⋯ After myocardial infarction ACE inhibitors reduce the development of overt heart failure, the occurrence of reinfarction and cardiovascular death in hypertensive patients. These effects have also been demonstrated in a subgroup analysis of the SOLVD (Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction) trial. Thus, in summary, ACE inhibitors are an important class of drugs providing cardiovascular protection in patients with increased cardiovascular risk.