Abstract
Summary
Administration of the vasode-pressor prostaglandins, PGE1 and PGE2, and of nitroprusside, an agent whose direct vascular activity is similar to prostaglandins, resulted in a reduction in systemic arterial blood pressure accompanied by the expected reflex increase in heart rate. Injection of pros-tacyclin (PGI2) and the prostaglandin precursor, arachidonic acid, into the femoral vein, pulmonary artery, left atrium, and left ventricle of the dog elicited a fall in blood pressure and a concomitant reduction in heart rate in both open- and closed-chest anesthetized dogs. Bilateral vagal section eliminated the bradycardia thus establishing that the PGI2-induced change in heart rate is reflex in origin.
Prostacyclin and prostaglandins were provided by Dr. U. Axen and Dr. J. Pike (Upjohn Co.). Dial-urethane was a gift from Ciba-Geigy. We are grateful to Messrs. Arsenio Baez and Maret Panzenbeck for excellent technical assistance.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.