Pharmacological profile of ibopamine. A summary of experiments on anaesthesized dogs.

Ibopamine is able to activate dopamine specific and adrenergic receptors in the heart and circulation, inducing a vasodilating activity together with a mild positive inotropic effect without incresing heart rate and myocardial O 2 consumption. The activation of dopamine and adrenergic receptors mediates a direct vasodilation postjunctional DA 1 and β 2 receptors and an indirect vasodilation (presynaptic DA 2 α2-receptors) through the inhibition of the release in norepinephrine, the renin-angiotensin system, and the secretion of aldosterone and vasopressin, thus antagonizing the neurohormonal alterations in congestive heart failure through a receptor mechanism. Ibopamine can also activate β 1 - and β 2 and very modestly vascular synaptic α 1 - and α 2 -receptors, thus inducing a mild positive inotropic activity and avoiding a drop in arterial pressure which might take place in presence of the intense vaso-dilation nine. Epinine is the active metabolite of ibopamine and is more active than dopamine on DA 1 , DA 2 , α 1 , α 2 and β 1 and β 2 receptors. Ibopamine can be safely associated with captopril and digoxin but not with nifedipine