[Pharmacological studies of guanabenz. Effects on the peripheral nervous and other organ systems]

General pharmacological properties of guanabenz (GUB), a new anti-hypertensive agent, were studied in comparison with those of clonidine (CLD) and guanethidine (GUD). Intravenous or peroral administration of GUB caused a contraction of the nictitating membrane in cats and mydriasis in mice, while it produced an inhibitions of the gastrointestinal motility in dogs; the motility of isolated rabbit ileum; and chacol transport, salivation and gastric acid secretion in rats. GUB had no or slight inhibitory actions on contractile responses induced by peripheral sympathetic or parasympathetic nerve stimulation in various organs; however, it had antagonistic actions against the norepinephrine-induced contraction of isolated guinea-pig vas deferens. The contractile responses to epinephrine and tyramine in the nictitating membrane and to sympathetic nerve stimulation in isolated guinea-pig vas deferens were potentiated by GUB. GUB specifically antagonized the serotonin-induced contraction of the isolated rat fundus strip and nonspecifically inhibited acetylcholine, histamine or Ba2+-induced contractions of isolated guinea-pig ileum at higher concentrations. GUB exhibited local anesthetic actions and diuretic effects, but had no particular actions on neuromuscular transmission, isolated rat uterus, guinea-pig tracheal muscle and the hematic system. These effects of GUB were found to be almost identical with but less potent than those of CLD. The effects of GUD were basically different from GUB.