• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.253-258
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• 2006

LDD175(4-choloro-7-trifluoromethyl-10H-benzo[4,5]furo[3,2-b]indole-l-carboxylic acid) is one of benzofuroindole derivatives that act as a potent $BK_{Ca}$ channel openers. In the process of testing LDD175 as a new drug candidate, an acute toxicity study was carried out in mice. The mice were administered LDD175 intraperitoneally at dose of 0.2, 1, 10, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800mg/kg and orally at dose of 10, 100, 400, 800mg/kg body weight. After administering LDD175, the vital organs such as the liver, kidney and spleen were carefully observed for any significant pathological features or differences from the norm over a l4-day period. LDD175 did not induce any short-term toxicity at doses less than 100mg/kg. A $LD_{50}$ of LDD175 was 2493mg/kg in male mice and 4908mg/kg in female mice. Weight reduction was observed at a dose of 800mg/kg in male, and 400 and 800mg/kg in female. The kidney weight decreased in females after an intraperitoneal injection of LDD175 high dose(>400mg/kg, i.p.), and the spleen weight increased in the male(800mg/kg, i.p.) and female(400mg/kg, i.p.) mice. Inspite of the change in organ weights, there were neither histopathological changes nor any gross morphological abnormalities detected in any organ. LDD175 did not produce significant changes in the general behavior at doses of <200mg/kg, but decreased locomotor activity was observed at an intraperitoneal dose of 400mg/kg. Its effects on the locomotor activity and activity on the rotarod were tested and compared with the effects of diazepam 5mg/kg. The decrement in the locomotor activity and the activity on the rotarod induced by LDD175 was less serious than it by diazepam.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.241-249
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• 2017

Plasma membrane hyperpolarization associated with activation of $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels plays an important role in sperm capacitation during fertilization. Although Slo3 (slowpoke homologue 3), together with the auxiliary ${\gamma}^2$-subunit, LRRC52 (leucine-rich-repeat-containing 52), is known to mediate the pH-sensitive, sperm-specific $K^+$ current KSper in mice, the molecular identity of this channel in human sperm remains controversial. In this study, we tested the classical $BK_{Ca}$ activators, NS1619 and LDD175, on human Slo3, heterologously expressed in HEK293 cells together with its functional interacting ${\gamma}^2$ subunit, hLRRC52. As previously reported, Slo3 $K^+$ current was unaffected by iberiotoxin or 4-aminopyridine, but was inhibited by ~50% by 20 mM TEA. Extracellular alkalinization potentiated hSlo3 $K^+$ current, and internal alkalinization and $Ca^{2+}$ elevation induced a leftward shift its activation voltage. NS1619, which acts intracellularly to modulate hSlo1 gating, attenuated hSlo3 $K^+$ currents, whereas LDD175 increased this current and induced membrane potential hyperpolarization. LDD175-induced potentiation was not associated with a change in the half-activation voltage at different intracellular pHs (pH 7.3 and pH 8.0) in the absence of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$. In contrast, elevation of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ dramatically enhanced the LDD175-induced leftward shift in the half-activation potential of hSlo3. Therefore, the mechanism of action does not involve pH-dependent modulation of hSlo3 gating; instead, LDD175 may modulate $Ca^{2+}$-dependent activation of hSlo3. Thus, LDD175 potentially activates native KSper and may induce membrane hyperpolarization-associated hyperactivation in human sperm.