Dopamine receptor agonists in cardiovascular therapy

Abstract

AbstractDopamine receptor agonists exert marked cardiovascular and renal actions that result from activation of specific dopamine receptors located at various sites within the cardiovascular system. The presence of at least two distinct subtypes of dopamine receptors is reported. (1) Neurotropic dopamine receptors, also referred to as δ2 or DA2 receptors, are located at various sites within the sympathetic nervous system, activation of which leads to inhibition of sympathetic nervous system activity. (2) Postsynaptic dopamine receptors, also referred to as δ1 or DA1 are located on vascular smooth muscles of blood vessels as well as at various sites in the kidney, and their activation causes, vasodilatation, inhibition of aldosterone release, and sodium and water reabsorption. The pharmacological responses to activation of neurotropic and postsynaptic dopamine receptors consist of hypotension, bradycardia, diuresis, and natriuresis. Since an elevated sympathetic nervous system activity and retention of salt and water appear to be responsible for several cardiovascular disorders, it is proposed that dopamine receptor agonists may represent a novel class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of certain cardiovascular diseases.Further research efforts in this area are required to understand better the role of endogenous dopamine and dopamine receptors in the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis and to develop more selective compounds for experimental and clinical studies in different disease states.