Alpha-adrenoceptor agonistic activity of oxymetazoline and xylometazoline.

Britta Haenisch, Jutta Walstab, Stephan Herberhold, Friedrich Bootz, Marion Tschaikin, René Ramseger, Heinz Bönisch

University of Bonn, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, D-53113 Bonn, Germany.

Fundamental & clinical pharmacology 2010 Dec

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Oxymetazoline and xylometazoline are both used as nasal mucosa decongesting α-adrenoceptor agonists during a common cold. However, it is largely unknown which of the six α-adrenoceptor subtypes are actually present in human nasal mucosa, which are activated by the two alpha-adrenoceptor agonists and to what extent. Therefore, mRNA expression in human nasal mucosa of the six α-adrenoceptor subtypes was studied. Furthermore, the affinity and potency of the imidazolines oxymetazoline and xylometazoline at these α-adrenoceptor subtypes were examined in transfected HEK293 cells. The rank order of mRNA levels of α-adrenoceptor subtypes in human nasal mucosa was: α(2A) > α(1A) ≥ α(2B) > α(1D) ≥ α(2C) >> α(1B) . Oxymetazoline and xylometazoline exhibited in radioligand competition studies higher affinities than the catecholamines adrenaline and noradrenaline at most α-adrenoceptor subtypes. Compared to xylometazoline, oxymetazoline exhibited a significantly higher affinity at α(1A) - but a lower affinity at α(2B) -adrenoceptors. In functional studies in which adrenoceptor-mediated Ca(2+) signals were measured, both, oxymetazoline and xylometazoline behaved at α(2B) -adrenoceptors as full agonists but oxymetazoline was significantly more potent than xylometazoline. Furthermore, oxymetazoline was also a partial agonist at α(1A) -adrenoceptors; however, its potency was relatively low and it was much lower than its affinity. The higher potency at α(2B) -adrenoceptors, i.e. at receptors highly expressed at the mRNA level in human nasal mucosa, could eventually explain why in nasal decongestants oxymetazoline can be used in lower concentrations than xylometazoline.

Citation

Britta Haenisch, Jutta Walstab, Stephan Herberhold, Friedrich Bootz, Marion Tschaikin, René Ramseger, Heinz Bönisch. Alpha-adrenoceptor agonistic activity of oxymetazoline and xylometazoline. Fundamental & clinical pharmacology. 2010 Dec;24(6):729-39