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(Circulation. 1995;91:1457-1460.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Angiotensin II

Adrenergic Sympathetic Constrictor Action in Humans

Declan Lyons, MSc, MRCP; John Webster, MD, FRCP; Nigel Benjamin, DM, FRCP

From the Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Polwarth Building, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB9 2ZD, UK.

Correspondence to Dr Declan Lyons, Clinical Age Research Unit, Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK.

Background Angiotensin II (Ang II) facilitates adrenergic neurotransmission in normotensive and hypertensive subjects, whereas angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to depress circulating catecholamine concentrations in some studies. We investigated the effect of local intra-arterial infusion of Ang II into the brachial artery of healthy volunteers during blockade of postsynaptic -receptors with phentolamine. The response was compared with that seen with Ang II infused during nitroprusside administration at a dose designed to give a dilator response similar to that with phentolamine.

Methods and Results Ang II (6.25, 25, and 100 pmol/min) was infused alone and then together with sodium nitroprusside (4 µg/min) and phentolamine (40 µg/min) in eight healthy volunteers. Forearm blood flow was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography. The percentage reduction in forearm blood flow produced by Ang II 100 pmol/min in the phentolamine-predilated vascular bed was significantly lower than that seen in the sodium nitroprusside–predilated forearm bed (28.1±2.9% versus 52.9±4.2%; P=.006). Comparison of the rate of change of blood flow in response to quadrupling doses of Ang II during blockade of -receptors with phentolamine and during nitroprusside administration was calculated from the mean slope of the regression line of log-transformed blood flow versus dose of Ang II. The mean slope during nitroprusside administration (-0.16±0.025) was significantly greater than that during blockade with phentolamine (-0.098±0.020) (P=.046).

Conclusions We conclude that a significant part of the vasoconstrictive action of exogenous Ang II on forearm resistance vessels in humans is sympathetically mediated.

Key Words: angiotensin • sodium nitroprusside • phentolamine • blood volume

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