Mechanisms contributing to the vaso-active effects of prilocaine in human skin

✍ Scribed by D. J. Newton; E. L. Sur; F. Khan; G. A. McLeod; J. J. F. Belch

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 147 KB
• Volume: 58
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2409
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2044.2003.02954.x

✦ Synopsis

Summary We investigated the roles of the endothelial nitric oxide and cyclo‐oxygenase pathways in mediating the vasoactivity of prilocaine in the skin. We injected prilocaine 1% intradermally into forearm skin of 10 healthy, male subjects. Nitric oxide synthesis was inhibited at a second site by co‐injecting prilocaine with l‐NAME 1%. We then repeated the injections while blocking the cyclo‐oxygenase pathway with aspirin (4 × 600 mg). We measured blood flow responses to the injections using laser Doppler imaging. We found that, after the traumatic effects of injection had subsided, l‐NAME reduced the vascular response to prilocaine by a third (p = 0.012), indicating an influence specifically on the drug response. Aspirin had no effect on the response (p = 0.588). We conclude that the vasoactive effects of prilocaine in human skin are mediated partly through the release of endothelial nitric oxide and, although other mechanisms might also be involved, the cyclo‐oxygenase pathway does not appear to play a role.