Skin sympathetic neuroeffector response is attenuated dose-dependently by systemic prostaglandin E1 injection in humans

Abstract To clarify the effects of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on the vasoconstrictive responses, we compared the correlation between the amplitude of integrated skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) and per cent reduction in skin blood flow (SBF) before and after the infusion of lipo PGE1 and placebo (bolus one-shot infusion, single blind study), and constant rate infusion of PGE1 (10 and 50 ng kg −1 min −1 by infusion pump, dose-dependency study) in ten healthy men. SSNA was recorded microneurographically from the median nerve simultaneously with SBF by laser Doppler flowmetry at the index fingertip. The measurement was conducted 30 min after injection of lipo PGE1 or placebo, and during the drip infusion of 10 and 50 ng kg −1 min −1 of PGE1 with maneuvers to enhance SSNA. The resting and activated skin blood flow were not significantly different between 10 ng lipo PGE1 and placebo administration, and between baseline and 10, 50 ng kg −1 min −1 of PGE1 injection. The vascular response, defined as the slope of regression line between logarithm of amplitude of integrated SSNA bursts and the reduction in SBF, was significantly suppressed by injection of lipo PGE1 as compared with that by placebo. It was also decreased dose-dependently by the constant rate infusion of PGE1 (10 and 50 ng kg −1 min −1 ). We concluded that the intravenous injection of PGE1 attenuates vasoconstrictive responses to SSNA, and analysis of the relations between SSNA and vasoconstrictive response, i.e. the neuroeffector response, is suggested to be an important tool to assess the drug effect.