Effect of diltiazem upon contractile responses to phenylephrine, cirazoline, Sgd 101/75, St 587 and B-HT 920 in rabbit aorta and dog saphenous vein preparations.

Diltiazem (10 microM) did not significantly affect concentration-response curves to the full, relatively selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists phenylephrine and cirazoline in rabbit aorta and dog saphenous vein preparations. The effects of these 2 agonists remained resistant to diltiazem even in tissues pretreated with phenoxybenzamine (0.03 or 0.1 microM, 20 min) to reduce the alpha-adrenoceptor reserve. Sgd 101/75 and St 587 were partial agonists in both vascular preparations. The concentration-response curves to these relatively selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists were also unaffected, or only slightly attenuated, by diltiazem. B-HT 920 at low concentrations preferentially stimulated the dog saphenous vein preparation and only at high concentrations elicited small contractions of the rabbit aorta. The responses to B-HT 920 were mediated by alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the vein and by alpha 1-adrenoceptors in the aorta yet concentration-response curves to this agonist were significantly attenuated by diltiazem in both tissues. The results indicate that the resistance of certain alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated responses in vascular preparations to calcium entry blockers need not be associated with the presence of a significant receptor reserve and that calcium dependency of a response may be determined by the agonist.