title: Cardiac vagal effects of rilmenidine in the dog: comparison with clonidine.
abstract: 1. The cardiac vagal effects of rilmenidine (5 micrograms kg-1 min-1) and clonidine (0.5 micrograms kg-1 min-1) were studied in chloralose anaesthetized dogs. 2. Rilmenidine and clonidine progressively reduced the vagal stimulation-induced bradycardia. As indicated by the ED70, rilmenidine was about 23 times less potent than clonidine in this respect. Concomitantly, both drugs dose-relatedly decreased heart rate and mean blood pressure with potency ratios of rilmenidne to clonidine of about 1:23 and 1:12, respectively. 3. Importantly, the heart rate values observed under vagal stimulation during drug infusion never exceeded the values under basal vagal stimulation, and with both drugs large interindividual variations occurred under vagal stimulation. 4. These results show that the vagal bradycardia inhibition produced by rilmenidine and clonidine results from their true bradycardic effects and not from actual cardiac vagolytic properties.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U.195, Faculty of Medicine, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dubar
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chapuy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chassaing
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004285:Dogs; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077769:Rilmenidine; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D010080:Oxazoles; D003000:Clonidine; D000077769:Rilmenidine