The effect of intravenous lidoflazine on serotonin-induced cerebral vascular contraction--an in vivo study.

Lidoflazine, a piperazine derivative with known selectivity for vascular smooth muscle, was evaluated as a possible agent for prophylaxis of cerebral vascular contraction induced by subarachnoid perfusion with serotonin. The animals treated with serotonin (5 X 10(-6) M), had a 60% reduction in the diameter of basilar artery but when pretreated with Lidoflazine (1 mg/kg) intravenously, only had a 20% reduction in diameter (p less than 0.01). Lidoflazine, when administered intravenously at a slow rate will not adversely lower systemic blood pressure and can prevent the contraction of cerebral vessels when the stimulus for contraction is in the subarachnoid space.