Abstract
Objective: To compare the venoconstricting effect of dopamine with that of noradrenaline and to investigate the influence of age on the responsiveness to dopamine in human subjects.
Methods: In eight young and eight elderly male subjects, increasing doses of dopamine or noradrenaline were infused into a dorsal hand vein and its diameter was measured using a linear variable differential transformer.
Results: There was no significant difference between the maximum venoconstriction (Emax) for dopamine and that for noradrenaline. The infusion rate to induce 50% of Emax (ED50) for dopamine in the young and elderly subjects was 363 ng · min−1 and 352 ng · min−1, and the ED50 for noradrenaline was 40.7 ng · min−1 and 43.8 ng · min−1, respectively. Neither in the Emax nor in the ED50 for these drugs were there significant differences between the young and elderly subjects.
Conclusion: The venoconstricting effect of dopamine is 5–20 times less than that of noradrenaline, and aging does not influence the responsiveness to dopamine and noradrenaline in human subjects.
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Received: 29 August 1997 / Accepted in revised form: 5 February 1998
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Harada, K., Ohmori, M., Kito, Y. et al. Effects of dopamine on veins in humans: comparison with noradrenaline and influence of age. E J Clin Pharmacol 54, 227–230 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050450
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050450