Coronary vascular activity of the novel inotropic pro-drug ibopamine and the de-esterified active form epinine.

The effects of the novel inotropic pro-drug, ibopamine, and the de-esterified active form, epinine (N-methyldopamine), were investigated in isolated canine circumflex coronary arteries in vitro. Both ibopamine and epinine produced concentration-dependent contractions of isolated canine coronary arteries, with epinine being approximately 7-fold more potent than ibopamine. The coronary vasoconstrictor response produced by ibopamine was inhibited completely by the irreversible alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, phenoxybenzamine, whereas the response produced by epinine was transformed into relaxation which was inhibited by the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol. The results indicate that ibopamine has the capacity to produce coronary arterial vasoconstriction, but that this activity may be partially offset by the beta-adrenoceptor-mediated activity of the active form, epinine.