Abstract
β-Blockers reducemortality andimprove symptoms inpeople withheartdisease;however, current clinically available β-blockers have poor selectivity for the cardiac β1-adrenoceptor (AR) over the lung β2-AR. Unwanted β2-blockade risks causing life-threatening bronchospasm and reduced efficacy of β2-agonist emergency rescue therapy. Thus, current life-prolonging β-blockers are contraindicated in patients with both heart disease and asthma. Here, we describeNDD-713 and -825, novel highly β1-selective neutral antagonists with good pharmaceutical properties that can potentially overcome this limitation. Radioligand binding studies and functional assays that use human receptors expressed inChinesehamster ovary cellsdemonstrate that NDD-713 and-825 have nanomolar β1-AR affinity >500-fold β1-AR vs. β2-AR selectivity and no agonism. Studies in conscious rats demonstrate that these antagonists are orally bioavailable and cause pronounced β1-mediated reduction of heart rate while showing no effect on β2-mediated hindquarters vasodilatation. These compounds also have good disposition properties and show no adverse toxicologic effects. They potentially offer a truly cardioselective β-blocker therapy for the large number of patientswith heart and respiratory or peripheral vascular comorbidities.