Suppression of renin release by timolol.

The beta-adrenergic blocking agent, timolol, administered to resting rabbits as an i.v. bolus (0.125 mg/kg) sustained by a 2-hr infusion at 0.0625 mg/kg/hr, caused significant depression of plasma renin activity (PRA) to 49% of the control level. Significant correlations emerged between the fall in mean blood pressure and changes in both heart rate and PRA. Timolol also antagonized isoprenaline-induced renin release. In anaesthetized normal rats, timolol (0.2 mg/kg i.p.) suppressed mean plasma renin concentration (PRC) to 16% of the pre-treatment value. Furthermore, the mean PRC of normal rats, bled immediately after decapitation, to avoid stimulating renin secretion, was reduced by 55% one hr after i.p. injection of timolol. The potency of timolol in this respect was 8 times that of dl-propranolol. Thus, in rabbits and rats, timolol effectively depresses both basal and stimulated plasma renin levels.