Blockade of peripheral vascular responses to isoprenaline by three beta-adrenoceptor antagonists in the anaesthetized dog.

1 A dog's hind limb was vascularly isolated by strong nylon snares and its sympathetic nerve supply interrupted. Blood was perfused at constant flow into the femoral artery and drained from the femoral vein. In some dogs the cardiac nerves were cut.2 Isoprenaline infused intravenously caused an increase in heart rate and a decrease in arterial resistance.3 Practolol (2 mg/kg) effectively blocked heart rate responses to isoprenaline infused at up to 10 mug/min but was relatively ineffective in blocking arterial responses. ICI 66082 (2 mg/kg) reduced vasomotor responses and propranolol (0.5 mg/kg) abolished vasomotor responses.4 Small cumulative doses of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists were given to some dogs. Practolol blocked heart rate responses in lower doses than were required to block vasomotor responses. Propranolol preferentially blocked vasomotor responses and ICI 66082 was intermediate between the other two in its effects.