Effect of arginine vasopressin on coronary and systemic hemodynamics in man

Abstract

Arginine vasopressin is a potent constrictor of isolated arterial segments in vitro. However, it is disputed whether, in vivo, arginine vasopressin acts as either a systemic or coronary vasoconstrictor. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of arginine vasopressin on coronary and systemic vascular tone in man. Six patients undergoing routine diagnostic cardiac catheterization were studied. At angiography, all patients were found to have severe coronary artery disease. Cardiac and systemic pressures and coronary blood flow as well as serum arginine vasopressin and osmolality levels were measured before and after administration of hypertonic contrast dye and then following intravenous injection of an analog inhibitor of arginine vasopressin. At baseline, serum arginine vasopressin levels were within the normal range in all patients, but, following infusion of contrast dye, rose above physiological levels in 5 patients. In these latter patients, there were no significant changes in coronary and systemic hemodynamics between baseline (condition 1), following administration of contrast dye (condition 2) and 10 minutes after injection of arginine vasopressin inhibitor (condition 3). Mean coronary sinus blood flow (ml/min) and mean coronary vascular resistance (dyne·sec·cm −5) were 184±49 and 41,235±8275 during condition 1, 204±62 and 39,442±8781 during condition 2, and 192±75 and 44,930±11455 during condition 3. Mean arterial pressure (mm Hg) and mean systemic vascular resistance (dyne·sec·cm −5) during conditions 1, 2 and 3 were 105 ± 12 and 1454 ± 174, 114 ± 21 and 1432 ± 210, and 114 ± 15 and 1436 ± 147, respectively. These data suggest that arginine vasopressin has no effect on coronary or systemic vascular tone in patients with coronary artery disease.