This symposium reviewed the fundamental principles, pharmacology, and clinical pharmacology of central alpha-adrenergic blood pressure regulating mechanisms. Fundamental principles Arterial baro- and chemoreceptor signals reach the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) via vagal and glossopharyngeal afferents. The NTS communicates with sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord via ...

Alpha methyldopa has been shown to modify left ventricular mass and normalize mitochondria/myofibrils volume ratio in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) when administered during the stage of developing cardiac hypertrophy (Tomanek et al., Cardiovas Res 23:173, 1979). To evaluate the long-term effects of this antihypertensive agent, the drug was administered to SHR and normotensive (WKY) rats...

a-Methyldopa acts through a metabolite in the central nervous system. Of the three metabolites most prominently considered as potential mediators of a-methyldopa hypotension — amethyldopamine, a-methylnorepinephrine (MNE), and a-methylepinephrine (ME) — ME is the most potent depressor agent following intravenous infusion into rats, following injection into the lateral ventricle, and following i...

The hypotensive action of methyldopa has been linked to production of the metabolites methyldopamine and methylnorepinephrine in brain. We have studied the effect of long-term (72 hour) intravenous infusions of methyldopa to awake restrained spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto control animals to look for differences in hypotensive effect, differences in concentrations ...