Ergot Alkaloids and Related Compounds (Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology (49))

Berde B. (ed.) Ergot Alkaloids and Related Compounds [Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology Vol. 49] 1978 [pdf 1015sc 1003+2c. 19.86mb]Traditionally every volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology is expected to give a comprehensive account of the topic it is devoted to. This is a relatively easy task if the subject has a short history, but if the problems in question have been worked on for half a century or longer the feasibility of integral coverage becomes questionable. In such cases more attention is usually given to the literature of the last decades, whereas older findings are dealt with in a summary fashion - with due exception to findings which can be considered classic. The situation is particularly complex if the origin of the subject is a natural drug whose actions - proven or alleged - were first recorded several centuries ago and where medical use can be traced back at least one and a half centuries (STEARNS, 1808) - as is the case of ergot of rye. Front Matter....Pages I-XVIII Introduction to the Pharmacology of Ergot Alkaloids and Related Compounds as a Basis of Their Therapeutic Application....Pages 1-28 Chemical Background....Pages 29-85 Basic Pharmacological Properties....Pages 87-232 Effects on the Uterus....Pages 233-319 Actions on the Heart and Circulation....Pages 321-420 Effects on the Central Nervous System....Pages 421-531 Clinical Pharmacology of Ergot Alkaloids in Senile Cerebral Insufficiency....Pages 533-566 Some Compounds With Hallucinogenic Activity....Pages 567-614 Influence on the Endocrine System....Pages 615-690 Metabolic Effects....Pages 691-717 Biopharmaceutical Aspects....Pages 719-803 Toxicologic Considerations....Pages 805-851 Back Matter....Pages 853-1006