CONTRACTILITY OF THE TAIL ARTERY IN RATS TREATED WITH BEZAFIBRATE ANDFED ATHEROGENIC DIET

Bezafibrate, a potent hypolipidemic agent, was studied as potentially preventive in the atherosclerosis-associated vascular hyperresponsiven ess to alpha-adrenoceptors agonists in rats. Contractile responses to norepinephrine (NE) were determined in isolated tail arteries of rats fed an atherogenic or a standard diet. Atherogenic diet was biochemica lly confirmed to induce hypercholesterolemia. Used for 1 month, athero genic diet increased pressor responses to NE in physiologic salt solut ion (PSS) and Ca2+-free PSS. When bezafibrate (100 mg/kg orally, p.o.) was administered simultaneously with atherogenic diet for 1 month, th e effect was inhibited, but bezafibrate administered from day 15 of ou r experiment had no effect on vasoconstrictor responses to NE. Bezafib rate prevented changes in contractile responses of rat tail artery in the early stages of atherogenesis.