Intracoronary alpha 2-adrenergic receptor blockade attenuates ischemia in conscious dogs during exercise.

Abstract
Studies on the role of alpha-adrenergic constrictor tone in the coronary vascular bed during ischemia were performed in dogs running on a treadmill. The animals were instrumented with a left ventricular pressure transducer, and regional systolic wall thickening (%WTh) was assessed by sonomicrometry in the anterior and posterior walls of the left ventricle. An intracoronary catheter was implanted chronically in the circumflex coronary artery, and a hydraulic cuff was placed proximally around the artery. After beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol (0.8 mg/kg i.v.), acute stenosis of the coronary artery was performed during running in five dogs to induce severe regional myocardial dysfunction in the posterior wall. Intracoronary infusion of the selective alpha 2-adrenergic blocking agent idazoxan (80 micrograms/kg) improved %WTh in the ischemic region from 5.1 +/- 1.6 to 10.8 +/- 2.8% (p less than 0.05), without any significant effect on the anterior wall. Blood flow to the subendocardium of the posterio...

This publication has 23 references indexed in Scilit: