Franz Hock

Effects of Hoe 065, a compound structurally related to inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme, on acetylcholine metabolism in rat brain

Hoe 065, a compound structurally related to inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme, caused a fall in the content of acetylcholine (ACh) in different brain areas of the rat following i.p. administration in the range 0.03-30 mg/kg. This effect occurred 0.5 h after a single injection and lasted for at least 6 h. Simultaneous administration of the choline uptake inhibitor hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) with Hoe 065 potentiated the decrease in ACh content induced by HC-3. In the same dose range Hoe 065 acutely enhanced the activity of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase as well as the capacity of the high-affinity choline uptake system which is considered as the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of ACh. Cholinesterase activity in vivo was not altered by the compound. Hoe 065 produced a concurrent elevation of brain cyclic GMP content. Taken together, these results suggest that Hoe 065 acutely increases cholinergic activity within its physiological range, probably by means of an enhanced release of ACh.

Effects of the novel compound, Hoe 065, upon impaired learning and memory in rodents

The effects of Hoe 065 (n-octyl 2-[N-[(S)-1-ethoxycarbonyl-3-phenylpropyl]-L-alanyl]-(1S,3S, 5S)-2-azabicyclo [3.3.0]octane-3-carboxylate maleate salt) were studied on the performance of mice and rats in different learning tasks. Hoe 065 prevented the disruption of memory induced by scopolamine administered before training. The results indicate that Hoe 065 improves cognitive function in different tasks.