Lack of cardiovascular or ventilatory effects of melatonin in rats.

The cardiovascular and ventilatory effects of centrally and peripherally administered melatonin were examined in both normotensive rats (NTR) and in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In the experiments on anaesthetised NTR melatonin was administered intravenously at doses of 1, 10, and 100 mumol/kg, or intracerebroventricularly at doses of 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 mumol/kg. In the experiments on conscious SHR melatonin was administered orally at doses of approximately 2 mg per animal per day, or intracerebroventricularly at doses of 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 mumol/kg. Melatonin did not produce any significant cardiovascular or ventilatory effects in any of the experiments.