| In Vitro |
In vitroactivity: Prucalopride induces contractions in a concentration-dependent manner with pEC50 of 7.5. Prucalopride (1 mM) significantly amplifies the rebound contraction of the guinea-pig proximal colon after electrical field stimulation. Prucalopride induces relaxation of the rat oesophagus preparation of rat oesophagus tunica muscularis mucosae with pEC50 of 7.8, yielding a monophasic concentration–response curve.
Kinase Assay: Prucalopride is a novel enterokinetic compound and is the first representative of the benzofuran class. We set out to establish its pharmacological profile in various receptor binding and organ bath experiments. Receptor binding data have demonstrated prucalopride's high affinity to both investigated 5-HT(4) receptor isoforms, with mean pK(i) estimates of 8.60 and 8.10 for the human 5-HT(4a) and 5-HT(4b) receptor, respectively. From the 50 other binding assays investigated in this study only the human D(4) receptor (pK(i) 5.63), the mouse 5-HT(3) receptor (pK(i) 5.41) and the human sigma(1) (pK(i) 5.43) have shown measurable affinity, resulting in at least 290-fold selectivity for the 5-HT(4) receptor. Classical organ bath experiments were done using isolated tissues from the rat, guinea-pig and dog gastrointestinal tract, using various protocols. Prucalopride was a 5-HT(4) receptor agonist in the guinea-pig colon, as it induced contractions (pEC(50)=7.48+/-0.06; insensitive to a 5-HT(2A) or 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist, but inhibited by a 5-HT(4) receptor antagonist) as well as the facilitation of electrical stimulation-induced noncholinergic contractions (blocked by a 5-HT(4) receptor antagonist). Furthermore, it caused relaxation of a rat oesophagus preparation (pEC(50)=7.81+/-0.17), in a 5-HT(4) receptor antagonist sensitive manner. Prucalopride did not cause relevant inhibition of 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2B), or 5-HT(3), motilin or cholecystokinin (CCK(1)) receptor-mediated contractions, nor nicotinic or muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated contractions, up to 10 microM. It is concluded that prucalopride is a potent, selective and specific 5-HT(4) receptor agonist. As it is intended for treatment of intestinal motility disorders, it is important to note that prucalopride is devoid of anti-cholinergic, anticholinesterase or nonspecific inhibitory activity and does not antagonise 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2B) and 5-HT(3) receptors or motilin or CCK(1) receptors.
Cell Assay: Classical organ bath experiments were done using isolated tissues from the rat, guinea-pig and dog gastrointestinal tract, using various protocols. Prucalopride was a 5-HT(4) receptor agonist in the guinea-pig colon, as it induced contractions (pEC(50)=7.48+/-0.06; insensitive to a 5-HT(2A) or 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist, but inhibited by a 5-HT(4) receptor antagonist) as well as the facilitation of electrical stimulation-induced noncholinergic contractions (blocked by a 5-HT(4) receptor antagonist). Furthermore, it caused relaxation of a rat oesophagus preparation (pEC(50)=7.81+/-0.17), in a 5-HT(4) receptor antagonist sensitive manner. |
| In Vivo |
Complete bowel movements per week is 30.9% of those receiving 2 mg of Prucalopride and 28.4% of those receiving 4 mg of Prucalopride, as compared with 12.0% in the placebo group. 47.3% of patients receiving 2 mg of Prucalopride and 46.6% of those receiving 4 mg of Prucalopride has an increase in the number of spontaneous, complete bowel movements of one or more per week, on average, as compared with 25.8% in the placebo group. Prucalopride (2 mg or 4 mg) significantly improves all other secondary efficacy end points, including patients' satisfaction with their bowel function and treatment and their perception of the severity of their constipation symptoms. Prucalopride (4 mg daily) accelerates overall gastric emptying and small bowel transit in patients with constipation without a rectal evacuation disorder. Prucalopride (4 mg daily) tends to accelerate overall colonic transit with significantly faster overall colonic transit and ascending colon emptying. Higher proportions of patients on prucalopride 2 mg (19.5%), 4 mg (23.6%) has three or more spontaneous complete bowel movements(SCBM)/week compared with placebo (9.6%). Prucalopride also significantly improves secondary efficacy and quality of life endpoints, including the proportion of patients with an increase of one or more SCBM/week, evacuation completeness, perceived disease severity and treatment effectiveness and quality of life. Prucalopride alters colonic contractile motility patterns in a dose-dependent fashion by stimulating high-amplitude clustered contractions in the proximal colon and by inhibiting contractile activity in the distal colon of fasted dogs. Prucalopride also causes a dose-dependent decrease in the time to the first giant migrating contraction (GMC); at higher doses of prucalopride, the first GMC generally occurres within the first half-hour after treatment. |
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