A comparison of the effects of bradykinin, 5-hydroxytryptamine and histamine on the hepatic arterial and portal venous vascular beds of the dog: histamine H1 and H2-receptor populations.

1 The hepatic arterial and hepatic portal venous vascular beds of anaesthetized dogs were separately perfused in different experiments.2 From measurements of perfusion pressures and blood flows in the two series of experiments, hepatic arterial vascular resistance (HAVR) and hepatic portal venous vascular resistance (HPVR) respectively were calculated.3 Bradykinin, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and histamine were injected intra-arterially and intra-portally and dose-response curves constructed from these data.4 Bradykinin injected intra-arterially caused dose-dependent hepatic arterial vasodilatation, and with an ED(50) of 2.66 x 10(-13) mol was more potent than any other vasodilator agent yet examined on this vascular bed.5 Bradykinin injected intraportally at doses up to 10 times those which were maximal on the arterial circuit did not alter the calculated HPVR.6 5-HT injected intra-arterially caused weak and variable rises in HAVR, indicating vasoconstriction. The maximum rise in HAVR was much less than that attained with noradrenaline in the same preparations.7 5-HT injected intraportally caused dose-dependent rises in HPVR indicating portal constriction at doses above 15-100 mug: in some experiments small doses of 5-HT resulted in reductions in calculated HPVR.8 Histamine has previously been shown to cause hepatic arterial vasodilatation: by intraportal injection, it caused dose-dependent rises in HPVR.9 In order to examine the receptors responsible for the effects of histamine, dose-response curves were constructed before and after mepyramine and metiamide.10 On the hepatic arterial vascular bed, metiamide did not antagonize the vasodilator effects of intra-arterial histamine, but these effects were antagonized by mepyramine.11 Similarly on the hepatic portal bed, the rises in HPVR due to histamine were antagonized by mepyramine but not by metiamide.12 The effects of histamine on both the hepatic arterial and portal venous vascular beds of the dog are therefore mediated predominantly by histamine H(1)-receptors.