Reactivity of the Canine Isolated Internal Mammary Artery, Saphenous Vein, and Coronary Artery to Constrictor and Dilator Substances

The internal mammary artery (IMA) and saphenous vein (SV) are used routinely in coronary artery (CA) bypass graft surgery. The IMA may develop spasm during surgery, and the SV often develops spasm during removal from the leg. We sought to determine the relative reactivity of the canine CA, IMA, and SV to potential vasoconstrictor substances and especially to determine which vasodilator agents were effective in these different blood vessels. All vessels were arranged as ring segments suspended at optimal stretch in organ baths. Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) caused relaxation of the three vessels but was less sensitive, less potent (as determined by EC50 values), and had a reduced range of relaxation in the IMA. Papaverine was less sensitive in the IMA as compared with the CA and SV. Nifedipine, verapamil, and diltiazem were potent relaxing agents in all three vessels when precontracted by K+, but were less potent in vessels contracted by the thromboxane mimetic U46619 or phenylephrine, especially in the SV. These studies highlight the marked differences in the response of IMA and CA to constrictor and dilator agents and reinforce the notion that calcium antagonists of different chemical classes have widely differing activities in vascular tissue.