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. 1969 Jul;36(3):582–593. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1969.tb08013.x

Steroid potentiation of responses to sympathomimetic amines in aortic strips

Stanley Kalsner
PMCID: PMC1703618  PMID: 5789811

Abstract

1. Responses to catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, nordefrine) were enhanced by 17β-oestradiol, progesterone and desoxycorticosterone in untreated and reserpine pretreated aortic strips. Responses to tyramine, believed mediated via endogenous catecholamines, were enhanced only in untreated strips.

2. Responses to sympathomimetic amines lacking the catechol nucleus (phenylephrine, synephrine, methoxamine) were potentiated inconsistently by the steroids and reserpine pretreatment reduced markedly the frequency of potentiated responses.

3. Known inhibitors of catechol-O-methyl transferase (tropolone, U-0521, pyrogallol) potentiated responses to catecholamines and abolished the enhancing effects of the steroids—when the steroids were given first, there was no further increase in response to catecholamines on adding inhibitors of catechol-O-methyl transferase.

4. Experiments with the oil-immersion technique, to eliminate diffusion of drug from the tissue, indicated that 17β-oestradiol, progesterone and desoxycorticosterone decreased the rate at which aortic strips inactivated adrenaline by O-methylation.

5. It is concluded that 17β-oestradiol, progesterone and desoxycorticosterone potentiate responses to catecholamines in aortic strips by inhibiting a major mechanism for their inactivation.

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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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