An LC-MS/MS assay to determine plasma pharmacokinetics of cyclic thymic hexapeptide (cTP6) in rhesus monkeys

A robust and simple method for absolute quantification of a novel bidirectional immunomodulatory drug candidate, cyclic thymic hexapeptide (cTP6), in rhesus monkey plasma was developed and validated by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Plasma proteins were precipitated by adding four volumes of acetonitrile. Peptides in the supernatant were separated by liquid chromatography on an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus-C18 chromatographic column with gradient elution using 0.1% formic acid in water (mobile phase A) and 0.1% formic acid in methanol (mobile phase B) at 0.2 mL/min. The analytes were identified by triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in positive ion-mode. The assay was linear over a concentration range of 10-5000 ng/mL for cTP6, with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 10 ng/mL. Intra- and inter-day precision of the assay at three concentrations were 1.51-7.70% with accuracy of 95.1-104.2%. The average recovery of cTP6 for three concentration levels was 59.6-64.0%. No significant matrix effect was observed. Peptide cTP6 was detected in plasma of live rhesus monkeys up to 6-8h after intra-muscular injection. The half-life was 2.24-2.95 h. The result revealed a nonlinear pharmacokinetic response to increasing doses of cTP6 (100, 200, 500 μg/kg). For the multiple dose study of cTP6, the drug did not accumulate during daily administration at 100 μg/kg for 7 consecutive days in rhesus monkeys.     

Quantification of nicotine, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine and varenicline in human plasma by a sensitive and specific UPLC-tandem mass-spectrometry procedure for a clinical study on smoking cessation

A sensitive and specific ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of nicotine, its metabolites cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine and varenicline in human plasma was developed and validated. Sample preparation was realized by solid phase extraction of the target compounds and of the internal standards (nicotine-d4, cotinine-d3, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine-d3 and CP-533,633, a structural analog of varenicline) from 0.5 mL of plasma, using a mixed-mode cation exchange support. Chromatographic separations were performed on a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column (HILIC BEH 2.1×100 mm, 1.7 μm). A gradient program was used, with a 10 mM ammonium formate buffer pH 3/acetonitrile mobile phase at a flow of 0.4 mL/min. The compounds were detected on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operated with an electrospray interface in positive ionization mode and quantification was performed using multiple reaction monitoring. Matrix effects were quantitatively evaluated with success, with coefficients of variation inferior to 8%. The procedure was fully validated according to Food and Drug Administration guidelines and to Société Fran?aise des Sciences et Techniques Pharmaceutiques. The concentration range was 2-500 ng/mL for nicotine, 1-1000 ng/mL for cotinine, 2-1000 ng/mL for trans-3'-hydroxycotinine and 1-500 ng/mL for varenicline, according to levels usually measured in plasma. Trueness (86.2-113.6%), repeatability (1.9-12.3%) and intermediate precision (4.4-15.9%) were found to be satisfactory, as well as stability in plasma. The procedure was successfully used to quantify nicotine, its metabolites and varenicline in more than 400 plasma samples from participants in a clinical study on smoking cessation.     

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of diazepam, atropine and pralidoxime in human plasma

A high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) procedure for the simultaneous determination of diazepam from avizafone, atropine and pralidoxime in human plasma is described. Sample pretreatment consisted of protein precipitation from 100microl of plasma using acetonitrile containing the internal standard (diazepam D5). Chromatographic separation was performed on a X-Terra MS C8 column (100mmx2.1mm, i.d. 3.5microm), with a quick stepwise gradient using a formate buffer (pH 3, 2mM) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.2ml/min. The triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was operated in positive ion mode and multiple reaction monitoring was used for drug quantification. The method was validated over the concentration ranges of 1-500ng/ml for diazepam, 0.25-50ng/ml for atropine and 5-1000ng/ml for pralidoxime. The coefficients of variation were always <15% for both intra-day and inter-day precision for each analyte. Mean accuracies were also within +/-15%. This method has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of the three compounds after intramuscular injection of an avizafone-atropine-pralidoxime combination, in healthy subjects.     

Gas chromatographic determination of midazolam in low-volume plasma samples

A gas chromatographic method for the sensitive determination of midazolam in plasma volumes as low as 40 μl was developed, utilizing clinazolam as the internal standard. After liquid-liquid extraction at basic pH into 1-chlorobutane-dichloromethane (96:4) a 2- to 4-μl portion of the reconstituted extract was injected under electronic pressure control onto a 12 m × 0.2 mm I.D. methyl silicone capillary column, and was exposed to a three-step temperature program from 120 to 310°C, to separate the analytes from the plasma constituents. The compound of interest was identified and quantified by means of a mass-selective detector. The assay was linear from 10 to 500 ng/ml using 40 μl of plasma (limit of quantification: 10 ng/ml) and was linear from 0.25 to 100 ng/ml using 500 μl of plasma (limit of quantification: 0.25 ng/ml). The intra-day precision for the 40-μl aliquots varied from 2.2 to 6.6%, the corresponding accuracy from −7.4 to −4.4%; the inter-day precision ranged from 5 to 7.2% and the corresponding accuracy from −7.2 to −5.1%.     

Determination of Cloretazine (VNP40101M) and its active metabolite (VNP4090CE) in human plasma by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS)

A sensitive method for the determination of Cloretazine (VNP40101M) and its metabolite (VNP4090CE) with an internal standard (ISTD) in human plasma was developed using high-performance liquid chromatographic separation with tandem mass spectrometric detection. Acidified plasma samples (500 microL) were prepared using solid phase extraction (SPE) columns, and 25 microL of the reconstituted sample was injected onto an Ascentis C18 HPLC column (3 microm, 5 cmx2.1 mm) with an isocratic mobile phase. Analytes were detected with an API-3000 LC-MS/MS System at unit (Q1) and low (Q3) resolution in negative multiple reaction monitoring mode: m/z 249.0 (precursor ion) to m/z 114.9 (product ion) for both Cloretazine (at 3.64 min) and VNP4090CE (at 2.91 min), and m/z 253.0 (precursor ion) to m/z 116.9 (product ion) for the ISTD. The mean recovery for Cloretazine (VNP40101M) and its metabolite (VNP4090CE) was greater than 87% with a lower limit of quantification of 1.0 ng/mL for Cloretazine (S/N=9.7, CV相似文献   

HPLC/MS/MS analysis of 3-carbamyl-4-methylpyrrole analog MNP001, a highly potent antihypertensive agent,in rat plasma

Chemically synthesized 3-carbamyl-4-methylpyrroles were characterized as a group of antihypertensive agents with dual-targeting mechanism to simultaneously inhibit type 4 phosphodiesterase (PDE4) and L-type calcium channels. A 5-butyl analog of the pyrrole family, MNP001, was found to have high potency in reducing animal blood pressure and heart rate. A method for measuring MNP001 using high performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) was developed. The calibration curve for MNP001 showed good linearity with the value of correlation coefficient greater than 0.987 over the range of 0.25–500 ng/mL. The results for inter-day and intra-day precision as well as accuracy were acceptable according to the criteria established by FDA. The lower limit of quantification was 0.25 ng/mL. This method was quick, sensitive and sufficient for in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies on this novel antihypertensive pyrrole compound.     

A validated gas chromatographic-electron impact ionization mass spectrometric method for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methamphetamine and metabolites in oral fluid

An analytical method to simultaneously quantify amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MAMP), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-methamphetamine (HMMA) and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-amphetamine (HMA) in oral fluid is presented. Four hundred microlitres of oral fluid collected via expectoration was extracted by solid phase extraction. GC/MS-EI with selected ion monitoring (SIM) yielded linear curves 5-250 ng/mL for AMP, MAMP, MDMA and MDEA, 5-500 ng/mL for MDA and 25-1,000 ng/mL for HMA and HMMA. Recoveries were greater than 85%, accuracy 87-104%, and precision less than 8.3% coefficient of variation. This assay will be used to investigate distribution of sympathomimetic amines into human oral fluid following controlled drug administration.     

Determination of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2′-deoxyuridine in plasma and urine by capillary electrophoresis

(E)-5-(2-Bromovinyl)-2′-deoxyuridine is an antiviral drug used for treatment of infections with Herpes simplex virus type 1 as well as Varicella zoster virus. Two fast methods for the determination of the drug and its metabolite in plasma and urine by capillary electrophoresis have been developed. The plasma method can be used for measurement of total as well as unbound drug and metabolite. Plasma and urine samples are prepared for measuring by liquid/liquid extraction resulting in a limit of quantification of 40 ng/ml for total and 10 ng/ml for free BVdU in plasma and 170 ng/ml in urine. Inter- as well as intra-day precision were found to be better than 10% and both methods have been used for drug monitoring of patients.     

Validation of high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assays for the quantification of eribulin (E7389) in various biological matrices

This paper presents specific and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) assays for the quantification of the novel anticancer agent eribulin in human plasma, whole blood, urine and faeces. These assays, developed to support clinical pharmacological studies with the drug, quantify eribulin concentration ranges of 0.2-100ng/mL for plasma, 0.5-100 ng/mL for whole blood and urine and 0.1-25 μg/g for faeces, using sample volumes of 500 μL or 250 μg (faeces). Samples were prepared with liquid-liquid extraction, separated on a C18 column with gradient elution and analysed with a triple quadrupole MS, in positive ion mode. A structural analogue of eribulin was used as internal standard for the quantification. The assays were linear with correlation coefficients (r(2)) of 0.99 and better, whereby the deviation from nominal concentrations ranged from -8.2 to 8.9% with CV values of maximally 14.2%. Stability assessments demonstrated that eribulin is stable at -20°C in plasma, whole blood, urine and faeces for at least 38, 4, 10.5 and 5 months, respectively. In conclusion, the validation results show that the assays are specific and accurate and can therefore adequately be applied to support clinical studies of eribulin.     

Development of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) assay method for the quantification of PSC 833 (Valspodar) in rat plasma

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) assay method was developed for the quantification of PSC 833 in rat plasma, using amiodarone as internal standard (IS). Separation was achieved using a C(8) 3.5 microm (2.1 mm x 50 mm) column heated to 60 degrees C with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-ammonium hydroxide 0.2% (90:10 v/v) pumped at a rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection was accomplished by mass spectrometer using selected ion monitoring (SIM) in positive mode. An excellent linear relationship was present between peak height ratios and rat plasma concentrations of PSC 833 ranging from 10 to 5000 ng/mL (R(2)>0.99). Intra-day and inter-day coefficients of variation (CV%) were less than 15%, and mean error was less than 10% for the concentrations above the limit of quantification. The validated limit of quantification of the assay was 10 ng/mL based on 0.1 mL rat plasma. The method limit of detection, based on an average signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of 3, was found to be 2.5 ng/mL. The assay was capable of measuring the plasma concentrations of PSC 833 in rats injected with a single dose of 5 mg/kg of the drug. PSC 833 and IS eluted within 4 min, free of interfering peaks. The method was found to be fast, sensitive, and specific for the quantification of PSC 833 in rat plasma.     

Determination of lapatinib (GW572016) in human plasma by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS)

A sensitive method for the determination of lapatinib (GW572016) in human plasma was developed using high-performance liquid chromatographic separation with tandem mass spectrometric detection. Plasma samples (100 microL) were prepared using solid phase extraction (SPE) columns, and 6.0 microL of the reconstituted eluate was injected onto a Phenomenex CuroSil-PFP 3 mu analytical column (50 mm x 2.0mm) with an isocratic mobile phase. Analytes were detected with a PE SCIEX API-365 LC-MS/MS system at unit (Q1) and low (Q3) resolution in positive multiple reaction monitoring mode (m/z 581 (precursor ion) to m/z 364 (product ion) for lapatinib). The mean recovery for lapatinib was 75% with a lower limit of quantification of 15 ng/mL (S/N=11.3, CV< or =14%). This method was validated over a linear range of 100-10,000 ng/mL, and results from a 5-day validation study demonstrated good within-day and between-day precision and accuracy. This method has been used to measure plasma lapatinib concentrations in a Phase I study in children with cancer.     

Simultaneous enantioselective quantification of methadone and of 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenyl-pyrrolidine in oral fluid using capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the enantioselective quantification of methadone (MTD) and its main metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenyl-pyrrolidine (EDDP). The enantiomers of MTD and EDDP were resolved by CE in 5min using 0.2% highly sulphated gamma-cyclodextrins as chiral selectors and a 50mM phosphate solution at pH 4.5 as background electrolyte. The optimized method was applied and validated for oral fluid testing. Linear relationships were obtained for MTD enantiomers in the range of 8.1-625ng/mL and in the range of 7.6-500ng/mL for EDDP enantiomers. The detection limits ranged from 2.3 to 2.4ng/mL, whereas the limits of quantification ranged from 7.6 to 8.1ng/mL. Intra- and inter-assay precision and accuracy were acceptable, respectively. The method was applied to the analyses of 60 oral fluid specimens obtained from patients enrolled in a MTD maintenance programme. Our data pointed out that higher concentrations of (R)-MTD and the enantioselective excess of (S)-EDDP in OF may reflect the free fraction of MTD and EDDP enantiomers in plasma.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of roscovitine in plasma and urine samples utilizing on-line sample preparation

Roscovitine, a purine analogue that selectively inhibits cyclin-dependent kinases, has been considered as a potential anti-tumor drug. The determination of roscovitine in plasma and urine was performed using microextraction in packed syringe as on-line sample preparation method with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The sampling sorbent utilized was polystyrene polymer. 2H3-lidocaine was used as internal standard. The limit of detection for roscovitine was as low as 0.5 ng/mL and the lower limit of quantification was 1.0 ng/mL. The accuracy and precision values of quality control samples were between +/-15% and < or =11%, respectively. The calibration curve was obtained within the concentration range 0.5-2000 ng/mL in both plasma and urine. The regression correlation coefficients for plasma and urine samples were > or =0.999 for all runs. The present method is miniaturized and fully automated and can be used for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies.     

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of azithromycin in serum using fluorescence detection and its application in human pharmacokinetic studies

A fast and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of azithromycin in human serum using fluorescence detection was developed. The drug and an internal standard (clarithromycin) were extracted from serum using n-hexan and subjected to pre-column derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate as labeling agent. Analysis was performed on a phenyl packing material column with sodium phosphate buffer containing 2 ml/l triethylamine (pH 5.9) and methanol (29:71, v/v) as the mobile phase. The standard curve was linear over the range of 10-500 ng/ml of azithromycin in human serum. The means between-days precision were from 13.3% (for 10 ng/ml) to 2% (500 ng/ml) and the within-day precision from 11.9 to 1.7% determined on spiked samples. The accuracy of the method was 100.7-107.2% (between days) and 100.3-107.8% (within day). The limit of quantification was 10 ng/ml. This method was applied in a bioequivalence study of four different azithromycin preparations in 12 healthy volunteers.     

Effectiveness of the Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor (S)-2 against LNCaP and PC3 Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) represent a promising class of epigenetic agents with anticancer properties. Here, we report that (S)-2, a novel hydroxamate-based HDACi, shown previously to be effective against acute myeloid leukemia cells, was also a potent inducer of apoptosis/differentiation in human prostate LNCaP and PC3 cancer cells. In LNCaP cells (S)-2 was capable of triggering H3/H4 histone acetylation, H2AX phosphorylation as a marker of DNA damage and producing G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest. Consistently, (S)-2 led to enhanced expression of both the protein and mRNA p21 levels in LNCaP cells but, contrary to SAHA, not in normal non-tumorigenic prostate PNT1A cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that (S)-2-induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells developed through the cleavage of pro-caspase 9 and 3 and of poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase accompanied by the dose-dependent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Indeed, the addition of the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk greatly reduced drug-mediated apoptosis while the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine was virtually ineffective. Importantly, preliminary data with nude mice xenografted with LNCaP cells showed that (S)-2 prompted a decrease in the tumor volume and an increase in H2AX phosphorylation within the cancer cells. Moreover, the highly metastatic prostate cancer PC3 cells were also sensitive to (S)-2 that: i) induced growth arrest and moderate apoptosis; ii) steered cells towards differentiation and neutral lipid accumulation; iii) reduced cell invasiveness potential by decreasing the amount of MMP-9 activity and up-regulating TIMP-1 expression; and iv) inhibited cell motility and migration through the Matrigel. Overall, (S)-2 has proven to be a powerful HDACi capable of inducing growth arrest, cell death and/or differentiation of LNCaP and PC3 prostate cancer cells and, due to its low toxicity and efficacy in vivo, might also be of clinical interest to support conventional prostate cancer therapy.     

SU11652 Inhibits tyrosine kinase activity of FLT3 and growth of MV-4-11 cells

FLT3-ITD and FLT3-TKD mutations are frequently found in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This makes tyrosine kinase FLT3 a highly attractive target for therapeutic drug development. However, effective drugs have not yet emerged. This study is intended to identify and to characterize new FLT3 inhibitors. By using the protein substrate GST-FLT3S to analyze kinase activity of recombinant proteins carrying the catalytic domain of wild type and mutant forms of FLT3, we screened a chemical library containing 80 known protein kinase inhibitors. We identified SU11652 as a potent FLT3 inhibitor and further employed FLT3-ITD-positive MV- 4–11 cells to study its effects on cell growth, apoptosis, cell cycles, and cell signaling. SU11652 strongly inhibited the activity of wild type, D835Y, and D835H mutant forms of FLT3 with IC50 values of 1.5, 16, and 32 nM, respectively. It effectively blocked the growth of FLT3-ITD -positive MV-4-11 cells at nanomolar concentrations but exhibited much less effects on several other cells which do not carry mutations of FLT3. SU11652 inhibited growth of MV-4-11 cells by inducing apoptosis, causing cell cycle arrest, and blocking activation of the ERK, Akt, and STAT signaling pathways. SU11652 is a potent FLT3 inhibitor which selectively targets FLT3-ITD-positive cells. It should serve as a good candidate for development of therapeutic drugs to treat AML.     

Paclitaxel quantification in mouse plasma and tissues containing liposome-entrapped paclitaxel by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry: application to a pharmacokinetics study

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay to quantify total paclitaxel in mouse plasma and tissue homogenates containing paclitaxel, Taxol, or liposome-entrapped paclitaxel-easy to use (LEP-ETU) was developed and validated. Docetaxel was used as the internal standard (IS). Liquid-liquid extraction with tert-butyl methyl ether was used for plasma sample preparation, and a one-step protein precipitation with acetonitrile containing 0.1% acetic acid was developed for tissue homogenates. Paclitaxel and IS are separated on a 50 x 2.1-mm C18 column and quantified using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in positive ion electrospray multiple reaction monitoring mode, with a total run time of 3.5 min. The peak area of the m/z 854.4--> 286.2 transition of paclitaxel is measured versus that of the m/z 808.5--> 527.5 transition of IS to generate the standard curve. In plasma, the linear range is 0.2-500 ng/mL and could be extended by dilution to 100,000 ng/mL with acceptable precision and accuracy (< or = 15%). The lower limit of quantification is 0.5 ng/mL in tissue homogenates (10 ng/g tissue), and the standard curve is linear up to 1000 ng/mL, with precision and accuracy < or = 15%. This assay was used to support a pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of LEP-ETU in mice.     

A HPLC method for the quantitative determination of N-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenylcarbamothioyl)-3,5-dimethylbenzamide in biological samples

A sensitive and simple HPLC method was developed for the determination of a novel compound, a potential anti-cancer drug, N-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenylcarbamothioyl)-3,5-dimethylbenzamide (DM-PIT-1), a member of the new structural class of non-phosphoinositide small molecule antagonist of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate-pleckstrin-homology domain interactions, in mouse plasma and tumor tissue homogenates. The chromatographic separation of DM-PIT-1 was achieved on C18 column using isocratic elution with acetonitrile-water (70:30) containing 0.1% formic acid (v/v). DM-PIT-1 was detected by UV absorbance at 320 nm and confirmed by LC-MS. The extraction of the DM-PIT-1 from the plasma and tumor tissue with methylene chloride resulted in its high recovery (70-80%). HPLC calibration curves for DM-PIT-1 based on the extracts from the mouse plasma and tumor tissue samples were linear over a broad concentration range of 0.25-20 μg/ml/g, with intra/inter-day accuracy of 95% and the precision of variation below 10%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.1 ng and 0.2 ng, respectively. The described method was successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of the DM-PIT-1 following the parenteral injections of DM-PIT-1 entrapped in 1,2-disteratoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene-glycol)-2000] (PEG-PE) micelles.     

Validation of liquid chromatography assay for the quantitation of (Z)-3-[2,4-dimethyl-5-(2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-indol-3-ylidenemethyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]propionic acid (SU006668) in human plasma and its application to a phase I clinical trial

The validation of an analytical method to quantify the antiangiogenic, (Z)-3-[2,4-dimethyl-5-(2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-indol-3-ylidenemethyl)-1H-pyrrol-3-yl]propionic acid (SU006668) for pharmacokinetic determination in a phase I clinical trial, is described. HPLC, with a gradient mobile phase and UV detection at 440 nm, was used. SU006668 was extracted from plasma by precipitation of proteins with acetonitrile. The assay was linear from 25 to 2000 ng/ml (r(2)=0.997); sensitive (limit of quantification 25 ng/ml), accurate (RE 2.6-11.9%) and reproducible (inter-batch precision C.V. 3.2%). Pharmacokinetic data for six patients are presented. They show linear pharmacokinetics with a low volume of distribution and induction at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/m(2).     

Antiproliferative effect of L-NAME on rat vascular smooth muscle cells

The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME may have growth inhibitory effects in vivo. We investigated in vitro the potential growth inhibitory effects of three different NOS inhibitors: L-NAME (1 mM), LNMMA (1 mM) and aminoguanidine (0.5 mM), on fetal bovine serum (FBS) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF-BB)-stimulated growth in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). [3H]-thymidine incorporation into rat mesenteric VSMCs was measured as an index of VSMCs proliferation (DNA synthesis) and activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2), a major signaling event in cell growth, was measured by western blot assay. PDGF-BB (0-5 ng/mL) and FBS (0-5%) increased [3H]-thymidine incorporation in a dose-dependent manner up to 6-10 fold. L-NAME significantly reduced PDGF-BB (5 ng/ml) and FBS (5%) stimulated DNA synthesis by 46% and 38% respectively. The increase of [3H]-thymidine incorporation induced by PDGF-BB and FBS was unaltered by L-NMMA. In contrast, aminoguanidine induced an increase in FBS and PDGF-BB-stimulated [3H]-thymidine incorporation of 64% and 34% respectively above cells not exposed to aminoguanidine. ERK1/2 phosphorylation induced by PDGF-BB and FBS was not affected by pre-treatment with L-NAME or aminoguanidine. In conclusion, NOS inhibitors differentially influence DNA synthesis in VSMCs: L-NAME inhibits FBS and PDGF-BB-stimulated cellular proliferation whereas aminoguanidine accentuates FBS and PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMCs proliferation. These phenomena are independent of the ERK1/2 pathway. The growth inhibitory effects of L-NAME may be related to differences in properties from other NOS inhibitors, and independent of its ability to inhibit NOS.