Biological Activity
ahu-377 is an inhibitor of neprilysin with ic50 value of 5nm [1].ahu-377 and the angiotensin ii at1 receptor antagonist valsartan compose lcz696 in a 1:1 molar ratio. lcz696 is an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor. it can reduce blood pressure and may be a novel drug for the treatment of heart failure. ahu-377 is a prodrug, it can be converted by enzymatic cleavage of the ethyl ester into the active form lbq657. it is reported that ahu-377(30 and 100 mg/kg, po) can cause antihypertensive effect in a dose-dependent manner in dahl-ss rats. but in the doca-salt hypertensive rats, it shows a weak reduction [2, 3].
References
[1] ksander gm, ghai rd, dejesus r, diefenbacher cg, yuan a, berry c, sakane y, trapani a. dicarboxylic acid dipeptide neutral endopeptidase inhibitors. j med chem. 1995 may 12;38(10):1689-700.
[2] voors aa, dorhout b, van der meer p. the potential role of valsartan + ahu377 ( lcz696 ) in the treatment of heart failure. expert opin investig drugs. 2013 aug;22(8):1041-7.
[3] laxminarayan g hegde, cecile yu, cheruvu madhavi et al. comparative efficacy of ahu-377, a potent neprilysin inhibitor, in two rat models of volume-dependent hypertension. bmc pharmacology 2011, 11(suppl 1):p33.