Regional hemodynamic responses to adrenoceptor antagonism in conscious rats.

Changes in blood pressure and renal, mesenteric, and hindquarters vascular resistances were measured in conscious Long-Evans and Brattleboro (vasopressin-deficient) rats in response to sequential, continuous administrations of prazosin and idazoxan in the absence or presence of ICI 118551 (beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonist) or propranolol. The large transient hypotensions elicited by prazosin and, subsequently, by idazoxan were associated with renal and hindquarters vasodilatations in both strains of rat. In Brattleboro rats, prazosin also elicited mesenteric vasodilatation. Pretreatment with ICI 118551 reduced the initial hypotensive effects and hindquarters vasodilatations elicited by prazosin and idazoxan, but the hemodynamic effects of prazosin were not significantly affected by propranolol. These results are consistent with propranolol antagonizing beta 1-adrenoceptor-mediated effects on the heart and the renin-angiotensin system that act to offset a beta 2-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodilatation, which contributes to the effects elicited by alpha-adrenoceptor antagonism. Hemodynamic responses to captopril and d(CH2)5DAVP (in Long-Evans rats) in the presence of adrenoceptor antagonists were consistent with a major cardiovascular role of the renin-angiotensin system and a less overt role of vasopressin until the latter system was blocked.