Abstract
The affinity of mequitazine, a non-sedating antihistamine, for muscarinic receptors was evaluated in the guinea-pig ventricle and ileum by in vitro binding techniques and functional studies. In binding studies, [$^3$H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) identified a single class of muscarinic receptors with similar apparent $K_{D}$ value of about 100 pM in two tissues. Mequitazine inhibited [$^3$H]QNB binding to muscarinic receptors competitively. Analysis of the mequitazine inhibition curve of [$^3$H]QNB binding to ventricular microsome and ileal homogenate indicated the presence of a single homogeneous binding site with Ki value of 25 nM and 18 nM, respectively. In functional studies, mequitazine caused parallel rightward shifts of concentration-response curves for carbachol and histamine in the isolated guinea-pig ileum. The slope values obtained from Schild plot analysis for the antagonistic action of mequitazine on muscarinic and histamine $H_1$-receptors were not significantly different from unity. The p $A_2$values of mequitazine for muscarinic and histamine $H_1$-receptors were about 7.6 ( $K_{M}$= 25.1 nM) and 8.88 ( $K_{H}$= 1.32 nM), respectively. These results indicate that the muscarinic receptor blocking action of mequitazine is 15 times less potent than the $H_1$receptor blocking action, but high concentration of this drug may cause the peripheral muscarinic receptor blocking effect.t.t.t.