Cardiovascular actions of prostaglandin C in the cat and dog.

1 Prostaglandin C(2) causes a prolonged fall in arterial blood pressure in the cat.2 At constant heart rate this fall in arterial pressure is accompanied by falls in stroke volume, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, and left ventricular dP/dt max.3 If mean aortic pressure and left ventricular end diastolic pressure are held constant as well as heart rate, prostaglandins C(2) and E(2) do not affect dP/dt max in the cat.4 In the dog, under similarly controlled conditions, prostaglandins C(2) and E(2) raise dP/dt max.5 We conclude that prostaglandins E(2) and C(2) have no direct inotropic action in the cat, but both have a direct positive inotropic action in the dog.