| Abstract: | The blood vessels in the rabbit ear have been used to investigate the effects of octapressin on vascular smooth muscle. Continuous administration of this drug resulted in tachphlatis. Cocaine enhanced the response of the ear to octapressin; however, this potentiation was not evident when phentolamine was concurrently added to the perfusate. Denervation and reserpinisation of the ear also eliminated the potentiation of octapressin's response by cocaine. The results suggest that there is a small, indirect sympathomimetic component involved in octapressin's action on the vasculature. |
