On the other hand, methoxamine usually induced negative chronotropic and inotropic effects in both preparations, and these negative effects were not blocked by atropine, tetrodotoxin and phentolamine. These results suggest that phenylephrine produces a cholinergic excitation which may occur through an adrenergic alpha-mechanism in parasympathetic nerve terminals, in addition to its adrenergic beta-stimulating effect.In 1968, James et al.(1) reported that sinus deceleration with the adrenergic alpha stimulant, methoxamine was prevented by phenoxybenzamine but not by atropine. These workers had directly perfused the sinus node artery of the dog heart in situ (2). They con cluded that this phenomenon was "evidence for alpha receptor depressant activity". The negative chronotropic effect was not however, observed when phenylephrine was adminis perfused atria] preparation of the dog, which allows for a well controlled study of such local mechanisms and perfusion is carried out only through the sinus node artery.In the present study, the isolated canine atria] preparation was employed to determine