Acute changes in the properties of baroreflexes in man after beta-blockade

1. To clarify whether acute changes in the properties of baroreflexes can occur in man, we evaluated the time course of baroreflex control of heart rate and cardiopulmonary baroreflex control of forearm vascular resistance (FVR) over 240 min after intravenous administration of propranolol (0.2 mg/kg) in 13 healthy young men. 2. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure remained unchanged after propranolol. Propranolol significantly decreased cardiac index and heart rate, and significantly increased total peripheral resistance. These effects remained unchanged for 240 min after propranolol. 3. Baroreflex control of heart rate was significantly augmented immediately after, and at 30, 60 min after propranolol, but partly reverted to the initial level afterwards. Cardiopulmonary baroreflex control of FVR was reduced immediately after, and at 30, 60 min after propranolol, but partly reverted to the initial level afterwards. Pressor responses to phenylephrine was reduced immediately after propranolol, but no significant differences were observed after 30 min. 4. These results suggest that acute changes in the properties of baroreflexes occur in man after propranolol.