Adrenergic and prostanoid mechanisms in control of cerebral blood flow in hypotensive newborn pigs.

The interaction between adrenergic and prostanoid mechanisms in the control of cerebral hemodynamics in the conscious, hypotensive newborn pig was investigated. Pretreatment with the selective alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists prazosin and yohimbine, respectively, had no effect on cerebral blood flow, calculated cerebral vascular resistance, or cerebral metabolic rate either before or after hemorrhagic hypotension. Indomethacin treatment (5 mg/kg ia) of piglets following hemorrhage caused a significant decrease in blood flow to all brain regions within 20 min. This decrease in cerebral blood flow resulted from increased cerebral vascular resistances of 54 and 177%, 20 and 40 min after treatment, respectively. Cerebral oxygen consumption was reduced from 2.42 +/- 0.28 to 1.45 +/- 0.28 ml.100 g-1.min-1 and to 1.0 +/- 0.28 ml.100 g-1.min-1 20 and 40 min after indomethacin, respectively, in hemorrhaged piglets. Decreases in cerebral blood flow and metabolic rate and increases in vascular resistance on treatment with indomethacin were the same as in animals pretreated with vehicle, prazosin, or yohimbine. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the prostanoid system contributes to the maintenance of cerebral blood flow and cerebral metabolic rate during hypotension in the newborn, as reported previously. These data do not implicate removal of sympathetic modulation by prostanoids as a mechanism for indomethacin-induced cerebral vasoconstriction in hypotensive newborn piglets.