Sympathetic effects on cerebral and ocular blood flow in rabbits pretreated with indomethacin

The effects of unilateral stimulation of the cervical sympathetic chain on cerebral and ocular blood flow was investigated in 8 rabbits anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium and pretreated with indomethacin in order to inhibit the formation of prostaglandins. Blood flow determinations were made with the labelled microsphere method during normotension and acute arterial hypertension. Hypertension was induced by ligation of the thoracic aorta. Evans blue was given as a tracer for protein leakage during hypertension. Sympathetic stimulation had no significant effect on the blood flow in the brain under the two conditions studied. In the uvea marked effects of sympathetic stimulation were obtained at normotension as well as at hypertension. There were no indications of breakdown of the blood-brain barrier or the blood-aqueous barrier. Thus, there was no evidence for any prostaglandin-mediated inhibition of sympathetic effects in the brain or the eye.