Abstract

In chloralose-anesthetized dogs with the left circumflex coronary artery perfused at constant flow, the effects of indomethacin or naproxen on coronary and systemic responses to sympathetic and parasympathetic stimulation were evaluated. Sympathetic stimulation was evoked either by 1-min carotid artery occlusion or by epinephrine (5 micrograms) or norepinephrine (5 micrograms) intracoronary administration. Reflex or direct parasympathetic stimulation was produced by ouabain (40 micrograms) or acetylcholine (2.5 micrograms) injection, respectively, in the perfused coronary artery. The administration of indomethacin or naproxen reduced the integrated areas of coronary vasodilatation induced by epinephrine and norepinephrine. The extent of this reduction was dose-dependent with both indomethacin (epinephrine: r = 0.774, n = 35, P less than .001; norepinephrine: r = 0.766, n = 35, P less than .001; norepinephrine: r = 0.799, n = 35, P less than .001) up to 1.5 and 7 mg/kg, respectively. Further increase in dosage of both prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors failed to induce further reduction of integrated areas of coronary vasodilatation. In contrast, the maximum fall in coronary perfusion pressure, induced by both catecholamines, remained unmodified after inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, whereas a faster return of the perfusion pressure to base line was observed. The extent of cyclooxygenase activity inhibition induced by indomethacin or naproxen, assessed through the radioimmunoassay of thromboxane B2, showed a consistent dose-dependent increase until complete inhibition was attained with 1.5 mg/kg of indomethacin and 7 mg/kg of naproxen. No significant change in the coronary and systemic hemodynamic response induced by carotid occlusion and by ouabain or acetylcholine intracoronary administration was observed. Furthermore, complete cyclooxygenase inhibition, induced by either indomethacin or naproxen, was able to reduce the coronary vasodilatation induced by isoproterenol (5 micrograms) intracoronary injection but failed to modify the coronary vasoconstriction elicited by both epinephrine and norepinephrine in propranolol-treated dogs. These data indicate that the prostaglandin system is involved in the coronary vasodilatation induced by humoral sympathetic stimulation, whereas coronary hemodynamic responses to both neural sympathetic or parasympathetic stimulation are not influenced by the administration of prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors.