AN ANALYSIS OF RESERPINE-INDUCED HYPERSENSITIVITY OF RABBIT AORTIC STRIP TO ELEDOISIN

The synthetic, bradykinin-like polypeptide eledoisin, which is known as a very potent hypotensive agent, contracts isolated vessels /Kovalcik,1963A The mechanism of the contractile effect of eledoisin on isolated vascular smooth muscle is not yet well understood. In our previous studies we found that after reserpine-pretreatment the maximal contraction of the rabbit isolated aorta to eledoisin is increased /Blaskova et al., 1966/. Supersensitivity of isolated aorta from reserpine pretreated rabbit to eledoisin was also shown by Turker and Khairallah /1966/. It was suggested that the effect of eledoisin on isolated vascular smooth muscle is somehow dependent on catecholamine stores.