Studies on the effects of oxamniquine on autonomic transmissions.

The effects of oxamniquine have been investigated on parasympathetic and sympathetic transmissions using in vitro and in vivo laboratory models. Oxamniquine (3.6 X 10(-5)-5.5 X 10(-4) M) depressed or abolished electrically-evoked contractions of the isolated chick esophagus and isolated vas deferens muscle preparations. At the same concentration (3.6 X 10(-5)-5.5 X 10(-4) M) levels, the drug also reduced or abolished the indirect, electrically-provoked twitches of the rat isolated phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm muscle preparations and contractions of the cat nictitating membrane induced by pre-ganglionic cervical sympathetic nerve trunk electrical stimulation in vivo. These results strongly suggest blockade of sympathetic and parasympathetic transmissions by oxamniquine.