THE EFFECTS OF INTRAVENOUS PRISCOLINE ON CEREBRAL CIRCULATION AND METABOLISM 1

Abstract

Priscoline hydrochloride (2-benzyl-imidazolinehydrochloride) is a drug of many pharmacologic actions. The effects of the drug in man apparently depend upon the dosage and method of administration. It is reported to produce peripheral vasodilatation by: 1) adrenergic blockade, inhibiting the effects of circulating adrenalin on smooth muscle cells of blood vessels; 2) sympathetic blockade at the terminations of the sympathetic nerves in the blood vessels; 3) direct action on peripheral vessels; and 4) epinephrine-reversal. There may be sufficient increase in cardiac output to elevate arterial pressure even in the presence of generalized peripheral vasodilatation (1-7). The drug also has other actions not specifically related to the cardiovascular system. Clinically, priscoline has been used widely in the treatment of occlusive and spastic peripheral vascular disease because of its ability to produce an increased cutaneous and muscle blood flow (8-11). Several enthusiastic reports have appeared on the beneficial effects of priscoline on cerebral vessels in the treatment of cerebral vascular disease (1214), and D. Engel has observed dilatation of pial vessels by capillary microscopy through a window in the skull of cats following intravenous priscoline (15). The present study was undertaken in an effort to measure the effects of large doses of intravenous priscoline on cerebral blood flow, metabolism, and other cerebral metabolic functions in man.