Effects of adinazolam on plasma catecholamine, heart rate and blood pressure responses in stressed and non-stressed rats.

Adinazolam (ADI) is a new benzodiazepine with anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. To assess its effects on the acute stress response, rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg of ADI and stressed for 1 hr by restraint. Neither dose of ADI had any effect on heart rate, blood pressure or norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EP) in plasma in the resting rats. In the stressed animal, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg of ADI did not affect stress-induced increases in heart rate or blood pressure but both significantly reduced the stress-induced increases in plasma NE and EP. During certain stressful experiences in patients with abnormally-increased sympathetic drive, ADI may be therapeutically useful in reducing high levels of catecholamines.