experimental study of the possible alterantion in the lung collagen concentration in rats treated with either acebutolol or atenolol

ABSTRACT

To study the role of beta-adrenergic system in the regulation of collagen production, this work was carried out as a trial to clarify the effect of acebutolol, beta 1-adrenergic receptor selective blocker possessing partial agonist activity or intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, and atenolol, another beta 1-adrenergic receptor selective blocker lacking such an intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, on the collagen concentration of the lung. Total collagen concentrations were determined in the lungs of rats at the end of continuous daily treatment with the above-mentioned drugs for three, six and nine weeks, respectively. The comparison of their values with that of the control group revealed no statistically significant effect of these drugs on the lung total collagen concentrations. It was concluded that both drugs could be considered as relatively safe, at least from the viewpoint of their effect, on the lung tissue