Diazepam reduces both arterial blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity in human.
It is known that benzodiazepines have a hypotensive effect, but the mechanism has not been well elucidated yet. To clarify whether this effect is due to central or peripheral mechanism, we administered 5 mg of diazepam or saline intravenously to healthy volunteers and assessed the change in blood pressure, heart rate, muscle sympathetic nerve activity and heart rate variability. After diazepam administration, systolic and mean blood pressure decreased significantly. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity was also significantly reduced but heart rate did not change, whereas the variables of spectral analysis of heart rate variability did not show significant change. We concluded that the hypotensive effect of diazepam in human is mainly due to the central mechanism.
Kitajima
Tsuyoshi
T
Department of Psychiatry, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-Cho, Toyoake-City, Aichi 470-1192, Japan. tsuyoshi@fujita-hu.ac.jp
Kanbayashi
Takashi
T
Saito
Yasushi
Y
Takahashi
Yuji
Y
Ogawa
Yuriko
Y
Sugiyama
Tomonari
T
Kaneko
Yoshihiko
Y
Aizawa
Rika
R
Shimizu
Tetsuo
T
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D017779:Sympathetic Fibers, Postganglionic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D003975:Diazepam