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British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
. 1977 Feb;4(1):27–31. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1977.tb00662.x

Effects of (+) and (-)-propranolol on the responses of the human isolated basilar artery to cerebrospinal fluid obtained from patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and cerebral arterial spasm.

D J Boullin, J Mohan
PMCID: PMC1428990  PMID: 843420

Abstract

1. The human isolated basilar artery has been used as a model to investigate the aetiology of cerebral arterial spasm associated with rupture of intracranial aneurysms. 2. The isolated artery is contracted by 5-hydroxytryptamine, noradrenaline, six prostaglandins and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with ruptured aneurysms and cerebral arterial spasm. 3. These contractions are reversed by (+/-)--, (+)-- and (--)-propranolol in concentrations known to produce local anaesthetic effects on isolated frog sciatic nerve; the (+) isomer was 2.5 to 10 times more potent (-)-propranolol in antagonising all contractions. 4. As the two isomers are known to have similar local anaesthetic potency but (-)-propranolol has greater beta-adrenoreceptor blocking effects we conclude that the antagonistic effects described do not involve beta-adrenoreceptor blockade. 5. The data indicate that propranolol may be of clinical use in reversing cerebral arterial spasm.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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