A STUDY OF THE INTERACTIONS OF HEXYL-CYCLOHEXYLETHYLAMINE (HECYLAMINE), EPHEDRINE, COCAINE AND CATECHOLAMINES

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia

The interactions of cocaine, ephedrine and Hecylamine (hexyl-beta-cyclohexylethylamine HCl) with one another and with epinephrine, levarterenol, racemic alpha-methylepinephrine and racemic alpha-methylarterenol (nordefrine) have been studied in the anesthetized dog. Hecylamine is a weak vasodilator with little effect on arterial blood pressure or flow. It potentiates the pressor response to ephedrine, cocaine, hydroxyamphetamine, levarterenol and alpha-methylarterenol but not to epinephrine and alpha-methylepinephrine. It is converted into a potent pressor agent, an active vasodilator and a marked vasoconstrictor by ephedrine, cocaine or hydroxyamphetamine. This pressor response is thought to be adrenergic in nature as it does not occur after adrenergic blockade.

Small equimolar doses of cocaine and ephedrine potentiate the 4 catecholamines to the same degree. The potentiating effects are additive and independent of the order of administration. Ephedrine potentiates all 4 catecholamines to the same degree but cocaine in large doses potentiates epinephrine to a lesser degree than it does the other 3.

It is concluded that ephedrine, cocaine and Hecylamine act by different mechanisms to produce potentiation.