Central cardiovascular effects of CPU-23, a substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline, in rats

The cardiovascular effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of low doses of CPU-23, a substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline, were investigated and compared with those of nifedipine in pentobarbital-anaesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. CPU-23, in doses of 0.2 to 0.5 mg/kg (i.c.v.), which did not elicit any significant cardiovascular responses when injected intravenously, caused a clear-cut and long-lasting decrease of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of CPU-23, in a dose of 0.05 mg/kg, were similar to those of nifedipine, a prototype L-type calcium antagonist. The hypotensive effects of CPU-23 were significantly attenuated by bilateral cervical vagotomy. The results strongly suggest that a central component may be involved in the cardiovascular effects of CPU-23 and that dihydropyridine receptor sites in the brain may be involved in the central control of cardiovascular functions.