Comparative Effect of Alfuzosin and Tamsulosin on the Contractile
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LABORATORY SCIENCE Comparative effect of alfuzosin and tamsulosin on the contractile response of isolated rabbit prostatic and iris dilator smooth muscles Possible model for intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome Stefano Palea, PhD, David F. Chang, MD, Moez Rekik, PhD, Alain Regnier, VD, Philippe Lluel, PhD PURPOSE: To compare the pharmacologic properties of tamsulosin and alfuzosin in isolated pros- tatic and iris dilator smooth muscle from pigmented rabbits. SETTING: UROsphere Laboratories, Universite´ Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. METHODS: Prostatic and iris dilator smooth muscle strips were placed in organ baths. A con- centration-response curve to phenylephrine was compared before and after incubation with tamsu- losin or alfuzosin. RESULTS: Both drugs were approximately 30 times less potent in iris dilator than prostatic smooth muscle. In the iris, tamsulosin acted as a competitive antagonist starting at the 0.03 mM concentra- tion (pA2 Z 7.96). This is in the same range as the maximum plasma concentration after a 0.4 mg dose of tamsulosin in humans (0.025 mM). The antagonistic effect of alfuzosin in the iris was weaker (calculated mean pA2 value of 5.63 G 0.19). Concentrations with an equipotent antagonistic effect on rabbit iris dilator muscle (3.0 and 10.0 mM) were approximately 100 to 300 times higher than the maximum plasma concentrations after a 10.0 mg dose of alfuzosin in humans (0.032 mM). CONCLUSIONS: Tamsulosin was more effective than alfuzosin at blocking adrenergic contraction of the iris dilator muscle in pigmented rabbits. Both drugs were less potent in the iris than in the prostate, which suggests that an additional iris receptor could be involved. If valid in humans, our results sug- gest that attainable plasma concentrations of tamsulosin are able to antagonize iris dilator smooth muscle contraction, whereas those of alfuzosin are not. This could explain the higher frequency of intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome in patients treated with tamsulosin than with alfuzosin. J Cataract Refract Surg 2008; 34:489–496 Q 2008 ASCRS and ESCRS Accepted for publication October 31, 2007. Since it was first reported in 2005 by Chang and Camp- bell,1 intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome (IFIS) has From UROsphere (Palea, Rekik, Lluel), Faculte´ des Sciences Phar- become a major concern for cataract surgeons. This maceutiques, and the Department of Clinical Sciences (Regnier), Ecole Nationale Ve´te´rinaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France; and small-pupil syndrome of variable severity is most a private practice (Chang), Los Altos, California, USA. commonly associated with tamsulosin, a systemic a1- adrenoceptor (a1-ADR) blocker that is selective for No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or the a1a-receptor subtype that predominates in the method mentioned. prostate. The uroselectivity resulting from this sub- Supported by Sanofi-Aventis, Paris, France. type specificity has made tamsulosin the most com- monly prescribed medication for the lower urinary The staff of the National Veterinary School of Toulouse provided tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia technical assistance in dissecting rabbit iris dilator muscles. (BPH).2 Severe IFIS is characterized by iris billowing, 1 Corresponding author: David F. Chang, MD, 762 Altos Oaks Drive, iris prolapse, and progressive intraoperative miosis. Suite 1, Los Altos, California 94024, USA. E-mail: dceye@earthlink. Poor preoperative pupil dilation is common.1 The in- net. traoperative iris behavior is consistent with deficient Q 2008 ASCRS and ESCRS 0886-3350/08/$dsee front matter 489 Published by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.jcrs.2007.10.045 490 LABORATORY SCIENCE: ALFUZOSIN AND TAMSULOSIN CONTRACTILE RESPONSE IN RABBIT PROSTATIC AND IRIS DILATOR SMOOTH MUSCLES iris dilator smooth muscle tone, caused by the systemic following composition (in millimolars): NaCl 114, KCl 4.7, 1 a CaCl2 2.5, MgSO4 1.2, KH2PO4 1.2, NaHCO3 25, glucose 1-ADR antagonist. Retrospective studies affirm that when the surgeon 11.7 (pH 7.4, gassed with 95% O2 and 5% CO2 at 37 C). Pro- pranolol (1.0 mM), desipramine (0.1 mM), deoxycorticoster- is not anticipating IFIS, the unexpected iris prolapse one (3.0 mM), and atropine (1.0 mM) were added to the and miosis increase the rate for surgical complications Krebs-Henseleit solution to block b-ADRs, neuronal and ex- such as posterior capsule rupture.3–5 Unfortunately, traneuronal monoamine reuptake, and muscarinic receptors, simply stopping tamsulosin does not seem to reduce respectively. Contractile responses were measured using iso- the incidence or severity of IFIS.1,4 However, when metric tension transducers (type IT-1, EMKA Technologies) and recorded using a data acquisition system (MacLab 8e). the surgeon is forewarned of the likelihood of IFIS For prostate and iris, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L- by the medication history, specific surgical strategies NAME) was added to organ baths at the final concentration can be used.4 The high prevalence of BPH and cata- of 0.1 mM for 30 minutes before the first and second concen- racts in aging men makes IFIS secondary to systemic tration-response curve (CRC) to the a1-ADR agonist PE was performed. a1-ADR antagonists a significant problem for cataract surgeons and their patients. 1 Protocol 1 (Prostatic Smooth Muscle) Chang and Campbell reported a strong association between IFIS and tamsulosin but could not retrospec- Transverse preparations of the prostate were suspended tively identify cases of iris prolapse in patients taking vertically in 25 mL glass organ baths under a loading tension nonspecific a -ADR blockers. Although subsequent of 1g. After 60 minutes of equilibration, the smooth muscle 1 strips were exposed to 30 mM PE to measure their viability. experience has shown anecdotally that IFIS can occur Strips having a contractile response of less than 0.5 g were in association with nonspecific a1-ADR blockers, the discarded. Following a 30-minute washout period, the first severity and frequency are not as severe as with tam- CRC to PE (control curve) was obtained using sequential sulosin.5–9 A recent retrospective study5 comparing half-log unit concentration increments (range 0.1 to 100 m the rates of IFIS in tamsulosin and alfuzosin patients M) until the maximum contractile response was reached. Following a 60-minute washout period, tissues were incu- shows that the incidence of IFIS with alfuzosin, bated for 60 minutes with tamsulosin (0.001, 0.003, 0.01, a non-subtype–selective a1-ADR antagonist, was sig- 0.1 mM sequential concentration increments), alfuzosin (0.1, nificantly lower. Since alfuzosin also demonstrates 0.3, 1.0 mM), or the inactive solvent before the second CRC clinical uroselectivity, this finding has important ram- to PE (treatment curve) was obtained. Only 1 antagonist con- ifications for the pharmacologic treatment of BPH in centration was tested on each single tissue. patients who might later have cataract surgery. Protocol 2 (Iris Dilator Muscle) About 70% of a1-ADR in the human prostate are of 10 the a1a subtype. Recent studies demonstrate that the Under a surgical microscope, iris was dissected in ice-cold a -ADR subtype, activated by phenylephrine (PE), oxygenated Krebs solution. A strip of iris dilator muscle (ap- 1a proximately 2.0 mm wide and 4.0 mm long) was carefully also mediates iris dilator muscle contraction and mydri- 11 12 isolated and mounted vertically in a 5 mL glass organ baths asis in rats and rabbits. It might therefore be ex- under an initial tension of 50.0 mg. After 90 minutes of equil- pected that other a1-ADR antagonists used for the ibration, the smooth muscle strip was exposed to 30.0 mMPE treatment of BPH, such as alfuzosin, would inhibit iris to measure viability. Following a 30-minute washout period, dilator smooth muscle contraction, causing IFIS with the first cumulative CRC to PE (control curve) was obtained using sequential half-log unit concentration increments a frequency and severity equal to the frequency and se- (range 0.1 to 100 mM) until the maximum contractile re- verity with tamsulosin. The reason behind the clinical sponse was reached. Following a 60-minute washout period, finding of a much stronger association of IFIS with the tissues were incubated for 60 minutes with tamsulosin tamsulosin has not been explained.5–9 The pharmacol- (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 1.0 mM), alfuzosin (3.0, 10.0, 30.0 mM) or the ogy of a -ADR antagonists such as tamsulosin and alfu- inactive solvent before the second PE CRC (treatment curve) 1 was obtained. Only 1 antagonist concentration was tested on zosin in the iris has not been examined experimentally. each single tissue. This study compared the antagonistic properties of tamsulosin and alfuzosin on PE-induced contractions Analysis and Expression of Results in isolated prostatic and iris dilator smooth muscle G from male rabbits. The investigations were performed Data are expressed as mean SEM. The contractile re- sponses to PE in the absence and presence of the antagonist in pigmented rabbits because a previous study showed (first and second CRC) were expressed as the percentage of similar a1-ADR pharmacology in humans and pig- the initial contraction induced by 30.0 mM PE. mented rabbits compared with albino rabbits.13 Using mean values, CRCs to PE were fitted by nonlinear regression using the GraphPad Prism version 4.0 software to obtain the following parameters: (1) Emax Z maximum MATERIALS AND METHODS Z contraction induced by PE; (2) EC50 PE concentration, Male pigmented rabbits (CEGAV) were killed and exsangui- which induces 50% of the maximum effect, expressed as nated. Both eyes and the ventral prostate were immediately pEC50 (Àlog EC50). Mean CRCs for the control and treated dissected and placed in oxygenated Krebs solution with the strips were fit in parallel and statistically compared.