PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shizuo Yamada
AU  - Junko Chimoto
AU  - Mizuki Shiho
AU  - Takashi Okura
AU  - Kana Morikawa
AU  - Hirokazu Wakuda
AU  - Kazumasa Shinozuka
TI  - Possible Involvement of Muscarinic Receptor Blockade in Mirabegron Therapy for Patients with Overactive Bladder
AID  - 10.1124/jpet.120.000301
DP  - 2021 May 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 201--206
VI  - 377
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/377/2/201.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/377/2/201.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther2021 May 01; 377
AB  - The selective β3-adrenoceptor agonist mirabegron, an established alternative to antimuscarinic therapy for patients with overactive bladder, induces additional effects against receptors, transporters, and hepatic enzymes. The present study aimed to elucidate the effects of mirabegron on muscarinic receptors in the rat bladder using radioligand binding and functional assays. Mirabegron (0.1–100 μM) inhibited specific [N-methyl-3H]scopolamine methyl chloride binding in the bladder and other tissues of rats in a concentration-dependent manner. Binding affinity in the bladder was similar to that in the heart and significantly higher than those in the submaxillary gland and brain. Mirabegron induced the concentration-dependent relaxation of carbachol-induced contractions in the rat isolated bladder. Further analyses using a two-site model revealed that the relative quantities of high- and low-affinity components for mirabegron were 44.5% and 55.5%, respectively. Respective pEC50 values were 7.06 and 4.97. Based on the receptor binding affinity and pharmacokinetics of mirabegron, muscarinic receptor occupancy in the human bladder for 24 hours after the administration of a single oral dose of 50 mg mirabegron was 37%–76%. The present results demonstrate for the first time that mirabegron may relax the detrusor smooth muscle not only by β3-adrenoceptor activation but also muscarinic receptor blockade.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mirabegron, the first selective β3-adrenoceptor agonist, represents an alternative to antimuscarinic agents for management of overactive bladder (OAB). The present study aimed to clarify whether mirabegron directly binds to muscarinic receptors and affects cholinergic agonist–induced contractions in rat urinary bladder and to predict muscarinic receptor occupancy in human bladder after oral administration of mirabegron. The results demonstrated that mirabegron therapy for patients with OAB may be due not only to β3-adrenoceptor activation but also muscarinic receptor blockade.