Effects of an antihypertensive agent, nipradilol, on isolated coronary artery of the dog.

Effects of nipradilol on proximal, middle and distal portions of left coronary arteries of the dog were investigated in vitro. Nipradilol (10(-7)-10(-3) M) produced a concentration-dependent relaxation in helical strips of isolated coronary artery under potassium contracture. The relaxation in the middle portions was most pronounced, it was 10% of the equimolar concentrations of nitroglycerin and significantly greater than that of propranolol. In the proximal portions of the coronary arteries, nipradilol (3 X 10(-8)-3 X 10(-7) M) showed a tendency to augment the contractile responses to norepinephrine; in the middle portions it reversed the relaxant responses to norepinephrine into contractile effects in a concentration-dependent manner. In distal portions, nipradilol significantly decreased the relaxant responses of the strips to norepinephrine. The findings demonstrate direct vasodilating and beta-adrenoceptor blocking actions of nipradilol in isolated coronary arteries of the dog.