Responses of human and baboon arteries to prostaglandin endoperoxides and biologically generated and synthetic prostacyclin: their relevance to cerebral arterial spasm in man.

1 Isolated strips of human or baboon basilar, middle cerebral, vertebral or common carotid arteries were set up in an isolated organ bath or in a superfusion cascade system. 2 These arteries relaxed to prostacyclin but contracted to prostaglandin endoperoxide (PGH2). 3 Human and baboon isolated arteries also generated prostacyclin from exogenous endoperoxide (PGH2). 4 Human arteries generated prostacyclin 36 h post-mortem but not 40 h post-mortem. The biologically generated prostacyclin relaxed the basilar artery and overcame the contractile effects of PGH2. 5 Thromboxane A2-like activity generated during human platelet aggregation by arachidonic acid caused contractions of the human basilar artery. 6 Prostacyclin reversed contractions of human basilar arteries caused by an unidentified vasoconstrictor factor in cerebrospinal fluid obtained from patients with cerebral arterial vasospasm after subarachnoid haemorrhage following rupture of cerebral arterial aneurysms. 7. The above vasospasm may be due at least in part to disordered physiological control of the calibre of cerebral arteries caused by diminished synthesis of prostacyclin.