COMPARISON OF THE CARDIAC EFFECTS OF β‐ADRENORECEPTOR AGONISTS IN ANAESTHETISED AND CONSCIOUS DOGS

The cardiovascular effects of some β‐adrenoreceptor agonists on heart rate, blood pressure and myocardial contractility (maximum rate of change of left ventricular pressure/integrated isometric tension) were measured in pentobarbitone‐anaesthetised and conscious, instrumented greyhounds. In anaesthetised dogs isoprenaline increased heart rate and myocardial contractility and reduced blood pressure. Prenalterol and RO 363, in equiactive inotropic doses, induced greater increases in heart rate than isoprenaline if blood pressure fell by less than 25 mmHg. Salbutamol had hypotensive activity at all doses and appeared to be a relatively selective inotrope. None of the agonists caused blood pressure to fall in the conscious dogs. Prenalterol and RO 363 were more effective inotropic stimulants, producing smaller increases in heart rate and more pronounced increases in myocardial contractility. Salbutamol, however, elicited greater increases in heart rate in the conscious animals and the inotropic selectivity demonstrated in the anaesthetised animals was lost. The direct effects of the β‐adrenoreceptor agonists, without modification by reflexes could be observed in the anaesthetised animals. The differences in the actions of the agonists in the conscious animals appear to be attributable to the state of the baroreceptor reflex control system and the relatively enhanced responsiveness of the heart.