Pharmacologic modification of blood flow in the rabbit microvasculature with prostacyclin and related drugs

The rabbit epigastric free flap was used to investigate the effect of prostacyclin and drugs modifying its synthesis in vivo on microvascular blood flow. Prostacyclin and its analogue carbacyclin caused an increase in flow with a maximal twofold increase at approximately 6.5 and 250 ng/ml, respectively, in the flap. Thromboxane synthetase inhibitors such as dazoxiben hydrochloride, UK-38,485, 7-IHA, and imidazole (up to 7 X 10(-4) M in the flap) as well as the prostaglandins 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha and PGE2 (up to 3.7 and 9.2 ng/ml, respectively, in the flap) all failed to modify the control flow rate in the cutaneous microcirculation. It is concluded that the vasodilatory properties of prostacyclin and carbacyclin, together with their known platelet antiaggregatory properties, warrant further study in problem areas of microsurgery such as flap ischemia. The use of thromboxane synthetase inhibitors had no demonstrable effect on the normal flap, and their effect on the ischemic flap remains to be investigated.