The metabolism and the accumulation of (±)-propranolol have been studied in isolated lungs of the rat, perfused with an artificial medium. 2 Little or no metabolism took place during the perfusion periods (up to 10 minutes). 3 Accumulation was observed with high tissue/medium ratios for substrate concentrations of 0.2 giM to 1 mM; there was evidence for saturability, but no real plateau could be seen. The presence of two binding sites with different affinities was established. 4 Cold greatly inhibited the accumulation process at low substrate concentrations, but had no effect at 1 mM propranolol. 5 Inhibition of accumulation was measured in the presence of imipramine, desmethylimipramine, nortryptiline, chlorpromazine and of Na+-free medium. Cocaine, 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline had no effect. Lidocaine enhanced the accumulation process. Release of previously bound propranolol was accelerated in the presence of propranolol and imipramine, unaffected by a Na+-free medium and decreased by cold and by lidocaine. 6 Experiments on lung tissue slices yielded qualitatively similar results to those obtained with perfused lungs. Ouabain and KCN had no or little effect on propranolol accumulation.
IntroductionPrevious studies on the distribution of (±)propranolol in tissues have shown that the lungs were able to concentrate (±)-propranolol to a remarkable extent since a tissue/medium ratio of up to 250 was observed (Black, Duncan & Shanks, 1965). Further analysis (Hayes & Cooper, 1971) showed that in rats, dogs and monkeys, large amounts of metabolites of propranolol could also be detected in the lungs. It was not known if the presence of these metabolites was the result of the local pulmonary metabolism of propranolol or of their accumulation after production elsewhere in the body.The present studies were therefore undertaken to investigate the mechanism of concentration and the possible metabolism of (±)-propranolol in isolated perfused lungs of the rat. In view of their similar physicochemical properties, it was also interesting to compare the mode of accumulation of propranolol with that of imipramine and other basic amines, whose concentration in the lungs has already been the object of recent studies (Junod, 1972a, Andersen, Orton, Pickett & Eling, 1974 Iwasawa & Gillis (1974), propranolol had no effect on noradrenaline uptake by the lung.
Methods
Medium and materialsThe perfusion medium consisted of Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer, containing 5 mM glucose and 4.5% bovine serum albumin; to obtain a Na+-free medium, sucrose was substituted for NaCl and Tris HCI for NaHCO3, while the albumin was made Na+-free according to the procedure already described (Junod, 1972b Unless otherwise specified, drugs were added to the perfusion medium and were therefore present during the entire perfusion. In the experiments where the effects of drugs on the efflux of propranolol were studied, drugs were added to the perfusion medium only during the period when efflux of 14C was measured.
Experimental proceduresDetails of t...