Reflex limb dilatation following norepinephrine and angiotensin II in conscious dogs

Effects of intravenous and intra-arterial norepinephrine (NE) and angiotensin II (AN) were compared in 18 conscious dogs instrumented with Doppler or electromagnetic flow probes on the iliac, mesenteric, and renal arteries, and catheters in the aorta and iliac arteries. NE and AN administered intravenously constricted the mesenteric and renal beds, and constricted the iliac bed when administered directly into the iliac artery. In contrast, intravenous NE and AN caused striking reflex increases in iliac flow and reductions in iliac resistance, respectively, in 12 of 18 dogs studied. The reflex iliac dilatation was not prevented by beta blockade with propranolol, cholinergic blockade with atropine, or prostaglandin synthetase inhibition with indomethacin. However, the responses were abolished by either phentolamine, 1 mg/kv iv, or after local blockade of the limb with either phentolamine, 0.5 mg/kg, or with tripelennamine, 2 mg/kg. The dilatation was not prevented by either bilateral carotid sinus and aortic nerve section or by bilateral vagotomy alone, but was prevented by a combination of these procedures. Thus, intravenous NE and AN cause striking reflex iliac dilatation in the limb in the conscious dog; the afferent arc of this reflex involves both arterial baroreceptor and vagal pathways, while the efferent mechanism involves an interaction of alpha-adrenergic and histaminergic receptors.