Desensitization of the human motilin receptor by motilides.

Tachyphylaxis may have contributed to the failure of the motilide ABT-229 [N-ethyl, N-methyl 4'' deoxy erythromycin (EM)-B enolether] in clinical trials. We compared the desensitizing potency of structurally related motilides [EM-A, EM-A enolether (ME4), N-ethyl, N-methyl EM-A (ME36), EM-B enolether (ME67), N-ethyl, N-methyl EM-A enolether (EM523), ABT-229 and 4'' deoxy EM-A enolether (KOS1326)] in a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cell line expressing the human motilin receptor (MTLR) and in rabbit duodenal segments. CHO-MTLR cells were preincubated with motilides prior to stimulation with motilin.