Nebivolol is devoid of intrinsic sympathomimetic activity

Nebivolol is a chemically novel, potent and selective β 1-adrenoceptor-blocking agent that acutely lowers arterial blood pressure in hypertensive patients and rats without depressing, or even enhancing, left ventricular function. These properties could be compatible with a partial agonistic effect of β-adrenoceptor-blocking agents. It was the aim of the present study to investigate whether nebivolol has intrinsic sympathomimetic properties. The study was performed on reserpinized dogs and spontaneously hypertensive rats, and on various isolated tissues from various species. Unlike pindolol and practolol, nebivolol did not exert a stimulating effect on the heart rate and left ventricular function in reserpinized animals and/or in isolated atria of reserpinized rats at doses that are clinically active. Nebivolol did not induce relaxation of isolated coronary arteries and saphenous veins at concentrations that block β-adrenoceptors. These findings indicate that nebivolol is devoid of intrinsic sympathomimetic activity at clinically relevant doeses.