Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a sensory neuropeptide that also has potent vasodilator activity. There are conflicting preclinical reports regarding the effect of CGRP receptor antagonism in the setting of myocardial ischemia. The present study was conducted in a canine model in which regional myocardial ischemia was reproducibly evoked by serial periods of atrial pacing (80 beats per min above baseline rate) in the presence of a 40% stenosis of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. Ischemia severity was quantitated by changes in unipolar epicardial electrograms (EG) recorded in the area of ischemia. In validation studies, the calcium entry blocker diltiazem reduced ischemia severity (before versus after treatment: ⌬EG, 1.92 Ϯ 0.23 versus 0.54 Ϯ 0.24 mV; p Ͻ 0.05) and tended to increase LAD flow (7.7 Ϯ 0.7 versus 9.4 Ϯ 1.4 ml/min; p ϭ 0.10), whereas the coronary constrictor serotonin increased ischemia severity (before versus after treatment: ⌬EG, 2.11 Ϯ 0.44 versus 4.90 Ϯ 1.46 mV; p Ͻ 0.05) concomitant with a reduction in LAD flow (9.1 Ϯ 1.1 versus 5.4 Ϯ 1.5 ml/min; p Ͻ 0.05). A 30 g/kg/min i.v. infusion test dose of the CGRP receptor antagonist CGRP was validated by demonstrating complete block of the depressor effects of exogenous i.v. 0.03 to 0.3 g/kg CGRP. This dose of CGRP , administered either intravenously or intra-atrially, had no effect on ischemia severity or paced LAD flow, indicating no intrinsic effect of CGRP receptor antagonism on the severity of acute myocardial ischemia. Likewise, the administration of a hemodynamically active dosing regimen of CGRP (0.03 g/kg/min i.v.) had no effect on paced coronary flow or ischemia severity, suggesting no major role of CGRP in regulating ischemic blood flow.Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a sensory neuropeptide widely distributed throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems (Brain and Grant, 2004). CGRP has been proposed to play a role in the pathophysiology of migraine based upon correlative changes in circulating CGRP concentrations during spontaneous and nitrate-induced migraine and during migraine treatment with triptans, as well as the provocation of headache with exogenous CGRP infusion in migraineurs (Edvinsson, 2007;Goadsby, 2008). Clinical studies demonstrating efficacy with two CGRP receptor antagonists, the parenteral agent olcegepant (BIBN4096BS) (Doods et al., 2000;Olesen et al., 2004) and the orally available MK-0974 (telcagepant) (Ho et al., 2008;Salvatore et al., 2008), have confirmed CGRP to be an important mediator of migraine.CGRP also possesses direct and potent vasorelaxant properties (Brain and Grant, 2004). In recognition of the vasodilatory properties of CGRP, as well as concerns regarding the cardiovascular liabilities of the currently available ergot and triptan migraine treatments (MaassenVanDenBrink et al., 1998;Wammes-van der Heijden et al., 2006), multiple groups have conducted preclinical studies of the cardiovascular effects of CGRP receptor antagonism. There has been parti...