Resumo

CONTRERAS, F; GONZALEZ, M; CLEMENTE, IC  e  VELASCO, M. Efectos de las drogas dopaminérgicas sobre el sistema cardiovascular y liberación de insulina en sujetos sanos y diabeticos tipo 2. AVFT [online]. 2005, vol.24, n.1, pp.42-49. ISSN 0798-0264.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most frequent diseases all over the world and is a public health problem due its acute and chronic complications. Actually, there are five different oral drugs regarding glycemia control in Type 2 Diabetes available in the United States, each one with a distinct mechanism of action. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, precursor of noradrenaline, is responsible for cardiovascular and renal actions, such as increase in myocardial contractility and cardiac output, without changes in heart rate, producing passive and active vasodilatation, diuresis and natriuresis. Although dopamine and its derivatives have been shown to have antihypertensive effects, these are still being studied; therefore it is important to explain some physiological and pharmacological aspects of dopamine, its receptors and the clinical uses it could have in the treatment of arterial hypertension and more recently in obesity, based on evidences proving a clear association between obesity and the decrease in the expression of D₂ receptors in the brain of obese persons.

Palavras-chave : Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Dopamine; Dopamine receptor; Hypertension; Dopamine agonists.