Vasodilating effects of perhexiline, glyceryl trinitrate, and verapamil on the coronary, femoral, renal, and mesenteric vasculature of the dog.

We compared the vasodilator effects of perhexiline on canine coronary, femoral, renal, and mesenteric arteries with those of glyceryl trinitrate and verapamil. Intravenous perhexiline produced vasodilation of all four vascular beds and decreased peripheral vascular resistance. High doses of perhexiline sometimes increased peripheral vascular resistance and reduced peripheral blood flow. This increase in resistance was abolished by hexamethonium. Intra-arterial perhexiline caused dose-dependent dilation in all four vascular beds without selectivity for the coronary circulation. Neither the autonomic nervous system nor inhibition of adenosine deaminase was involved in the vasodilator action of perhexiline. Perhexiline abolished renal blood flow autoregulation, an effect which was reversed by simultaneous administration of CaCl2. These results suggest that the vasodilator effect of perhexiline is mediated by its Ca2+-antagonistic activity. However, some differences in its effects from those of other Ca2+-antagonists remain to be clarified.