“…In previously studied catecholamines (Dowd et al, 1977), the inclusion of an oxymethylene group produced a small degree of #,-receptor selectivity; the oxymethylene derivative of isoprenaline was the most active compound in this respect, being some five times more active as a ,1than as a fl2-receptor agonist. In fl-receptor antagonists based on a phenoxypropanolamine nucleus, homoveratryl as opposed to isopropyl or N-t-butyl amine substitution, produces little change in antagonistic potency at ,B,-receptors while causing a marked diminution of activity at #2-receptor sites: hence the compounds show #,B-receptor selective antagonistic actions (Hoefle, Hastings, Meyer, Corey, Holmes & Stratton, 1975;Leclerc, Mann, Wermuth, Bieth & Schwartz, 1977;Shtacher, Rubenstein & Somani, 1978).…”