Effect of Diazoxide and Hydralazine on Intestinal Transit and Blood Pressure in the Rat

This study examines the effects of diazoxide and hydralazine on gastrointestinal and vascular smooth muscle. The effect of the drugs administered individually and in combination was determined on small intestinal transit and blood pressure in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Both diazoxide and hydralazine produced dose-dependent decreases in the ratio of intestinal transit to total length. Additionally, combinations of various doses of hydralazine and diazoxide produced a greater than simple summation of the inhibitory effects on intestinal transit. The combination of diazoxide and hydralazine produced only a simple additive effect on mean arterial pressure.