Effects of bisoprolol on local vascular resistance

Changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, arterial blood flow and vascular resistance in the arm and in the leg were investigated in 9 healthy volunteers (22-40 years) after oral dosing with bisoprolol 10 mg, propranolol 40 mg, and placebo in a randomized double-blind cross-over study. Arterial blood flow and vascular resistance were determined in brachial and femoral arteries with unimpeded circulation, after exclusion of the hand or foot by placing a tourniquet on the wrist or ankle, and during post-ischaemic hyperaemia. Distal arterial occlusion allows one to isolate a predominantly muscular circulation in the forearm or, to a lesser extent, in the leg. Both active drugs induced a significant fall in heart rate and systolic blood pressure versus placebo with no significant difference between the drugs. Brachial and femoral flow rates were reduced by both drugs probably due to a fall in cardiac output, but the two beta blockers produced different effects on vascular resistance: propranolol significantly increased brachial vascular resistance compared with placebo and bisoprolol, both during unimpeded circulation and during occlusion of the hand by a wrist tourniquet. Bisoprolol had no influence on brachial vascular resistance. Both drugs induced small increases in femoral vascular resistance. The different action on local vascular resistance in the brachial artery territory could be interpreted as the expression of the high beta 1 selectivity of bisoprolol leaving the vascular beta 2 receptors unopposed, whereas non-selective propranolol acts on both beta-adrenoceptor subtypes.