The anti-tumor agent, taxol, attenuates contractile activity in rat aortic smooth muscle.

Using 16-20 week old female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), the effects of the antitumor agent, taxol, on vascular reactivity were examined. Taxol significantly inhibited contraction induced by phenylephrine, angiotensin II, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate and increasing concentrations of calcium. The data suggest that taxol does not augment hypersensitivity of the vascular, but instead attenuates contractile activity and may have important implications with respect to treatment of women with both cancer and cardiovascular disease.