Comparison in anesthetized dogs of the anti-aggregatory and hemodynamic effects of prostacyclin and a chemically stable prostacyclin analog, 6a-carba-PGI2 (carbacyclin).

The intravascular anti-aggregatory and systemic and hemodynamic effects of prostacyclin and carbacyclin were compared by intravenous infusion in pentabarbital anesthetized dogs. Ten times as much carbacyclin was needed to produce comparable inhibition of platelet aggregation in the lumen of partially obstructed circumflex coronary arteries. These doses of carbacyclin caused similar decreases in total peripheral resistance as equi-effective anti-aggregatory doses of prostacyclin. There was a trend for the decrease in blood pressure with carbacyclin to be less than that produced by equi-effective anti-aggregatory doses of prostacyclin because carbacyclin caused somewhat greater increases in cardiac output. Changes in heart rate were similar with both substances. During carbacyclin and prostacyclin infusion resistance in normal (unobstructed) coronary arteries decreased. Both substances had comparable effects on pulmonary vascular resistance, right atrial pressure and left ventricular dp/dt at equivalent anti-aggregatory doses both before and after atropine (1 mg/kg) and hexamethonium (5 mg/kg). During 5 to 6 hour infusions of carbacyclin there was no evidence of desensitization of dog platelets to the anti-aggregatory activity. These results show that carbacyclin has a similar spectrum of activity as prostacyclin and is about one-tenth as potent.