Almitrine enhances in low dose the reactivity of pulmonary vessels to hypoxia.

Almitrine bismesylate (Alm) has been shown to increase arterial oxygen tension in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This effect is though to be attributable to the enhancement of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). We evaluated the effect of various doses of Alm on HPV in terms of blood flow diversion associated with anoxic challenge to the left lower lobe (LLL) in dogs with the LLL and the rest of the lung separately ventilated. The stimulus-response curve shifted to the right with increasing rate of Alm infusion, suggesting that Alm enhances the reactivity of the pulmonary vessels to hypoxia. Low doses of Alm enhanced HPV, while higher doses attenuated it. This suggests that the degree of vasoconstriction in hypoxic and non-hypoxic regions depends on the dose of Alm. The same effects of Alm were also observed in peripheral chemoreceptor denervated dogs. It is supposed that the vasoconstriction induced by Alm may be attributable to a direct effect on pulmonary vessels rather than to a nervous reflex effect.