Effects of Hexamethonium Bromide and β-Amino Propionitrile on the Tensile Strength of the Aorta of Mice

Abstract

Beaven and Murphy¹ suggested that the ganglion-blocking agents, hexamethonium bromide and pentolinium, might weaken the aortic media, because nine of a series of 44 hypertensive patients under treatment with these agents died suddenly from dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. Six of the nine fatal cases had malignant hypertension. Although in a large autopsy service we have observed this association only in one case of malignant hypertension treated with ‘Darenthin’, we decided to test the hypothesis by comparing the effects of hexamethonium bromide alone and in association with the lathyrous factor β-amino propionitrile on the static tensile strength of the aorta in normal mice. The latter compound is well known to weaken the aortic media in experimental animals by an antimaturant action on collagen².