STUDIES INVOLVING INTERACTION BETWEEN ALPHAMETHYLDOPA AND COWPEA (VIGNA SINENSIS) USING BOTH NORMOTENSIVE . AND SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS.

STUDIES INVOLVING INTERACTION BETWEEN ALPHAMETHYLDOPA AND COWPEA (VIGNA SINENSIS) USING BOTH NORMOTENSIVE . AND SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS.

Abstract:

The effect of cowpea and its possible interactions with alphamethyldopa on the b.p. and heart rate of normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats have been studied. ii ) Cowpea (60%w/w of Pfizer feed) increased the b.p. of normotensive rats (NTR), but had no such effect on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In addition the heart rate of SHR was significantly elevated while that of NTR was not affected. The sympathomimetic agents further elevated the b.p. in the NTR than in the controls, but the b.p. elevation in the SHR was much lower than in the controls. The heart rate of both NTR and SHR were not consistently affected. lii) Cowpea (20%w/w of Pfizer feed) did not alter the b.p. of NTR, but increased the heart rate. On the other hand, the b.p. of SHR was reduced, while the heart rate was apparently not affected. Noradrenaline and tyramine elevated the b.p. of this group lower than in controls, particularly with the SHR. The results obtained with other sympathomimetics on both NTR and SHR were not consistent. iv) Alphamethyldopa did not alter the b.p. of the NTR but lowered that of SHR. The heart rate uf both NTR and SHR was significantly elevated by alphamethyldopa. The b.p. elevating effect of the sympathomimetics were not significantly more than those obtained in the controls. V) Coadministration of alphamethyldopa and cowpea (60% and 20°/oW/w) had no effect on the b.p. of NTR, but reduced that of SHR, Interaction of alphamethyldopa with cowpea (20%w/w) increased the heart rate of both NTR and SHR. Similarly, cowpea (60%w/w) elevated the heart rate of SHR, but had no such effect on NTR. The sympathomimetic effects followed the pattern of responses obtained when administered to rats (NTR and SHR) treated with only cowpea (20% and 60%w/w) . The treatment apparently had no influence on the effects of the sympathomimetics,

STUDIES INVOLVING INTERACTION BETWEEN ALPHAMETHYLDOPA AND COWPEA (VIGNA SINENSIS) USING BOTH NORMOTENSIVE . AND SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS.