Comparison of the vasodilatory effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and peptide-HI (PHI) in the rabbit and the cat.

In rabbits, intravenous infusion of increasing doses of peptide-HI (PHI), with direct measurement of the uveal blood flow from a cannulated vortex vein, caused a dose-dependent decrease in the uveal vascular resistance. The maximal effect, a 50% decrease, was achieved with about 60 pmol kg-1 min-1. This is similar to what has previously been reported for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). Determination of local blood flows, with radioactive microspheres, showed that i.v. infusion of VIP or PHI (60 pmol kg-1 min-1) caused about the same increase in the choroidal blood flow, while the local blood flow in the anterior uvea was unaffected by both peptides. The most marked effect of VIP was observed in glandular tissues, such as the pancreas, submandibular, parotid and thyroid glands. The pancreas was the only one of these tissues in which PHI caused an increased blood flow. In cats, i.v. infusion of VIP (30 pmol kg-1 min-1) during 5-7 min caused a markedly increased blood flow in several tissues. The vasodilation in glandular tissues was even more marked than in rabbits; 3-15 times the normal compared with two to five times the normal in rabbits. The choroidal blood flow was however significantly decreased and the local flow in the anterior uvea tended also to be reduced. Intravenous infusion of either a higher dose of VIP (60 pmol kg-1 min-1) or of PHI (1800 pmol kg-1 min-1) during 2 min had no effect on the uveal vascular resistance. This dose of PHI had only minor effects on local blood flows in other tissues. The results of the present study indicate that porcine VIP is a more potent vasodilator than porcine PHI in most tissues of both the cat and the rabbit, but that there may be exceptions such as the rabbit uvea. The difference in potency may also vary considerably between the species.