Amlodipine, a Ca2+ channel antagonist, modifies cerebral blood flow autoregulation in hypertensive rats

We measured the cerebral blood flow at rest and during hemorrhagic hypotension in 7 rats of each group using laser-Doppler flowmetry. Simultaneously, the absolute baseline cerebral blood flow values in the parietal cortex were quantified with the hydrogen clearance method. Baseline mean arterial pressure was significantly lowered, by 29 mm Hg, in the amlodipine-treated group, while the baseline cerebral blood flow was 36 +/- 4 ml/100 g/min (mean +/- S.D.) which was almost the same as the 40 +/- 5 in the control group. The lower limits of the cerebral blood flow autoregulation, defined as the mean arterial pressure at which the cerebral blood flow decreased by 10% of the baseline value, were shifted to a lower level of 107 +/- 9 mm Hg in the treated group compared with 133 +/- 5 mm Hg in the control (P < 0.001). The results demonstrated that, in hypertensive rats with amlodipine treatment, cerebral perfusion was preserved at a lower blood pressure level, which is advantageous under hypotensive conditions.