Calcium channel antagonist pharmacological effects

The ability of calcium channel antagonists to induce afferent arteriole vasodilation makes this class of drugs as a very suitable pharmacological antidote against CsA acute vascular effects [242]. Indeed, several studies showed improvement in renal hemodynamics and/or function when different calcium antagonists like vera-... 

This pharmacological class is one of the most complex since its members act on a variety of newly discovered calcium channels within the central nervous system with either synaptic or somatic localization and numerous functions. Little is known about the impact of calcium antagonists on chemical neurotransmission, neuronal functions and intracellular calcium homeostasis, particularly in neurones and glial cells. This wide area of research and the action of these drugs on cerebral vascularization have been the subject of a number of recent reviews [95, 128-130]. For dihydropyridines, it is also important to note the peripheral (cardiovascular) effects which in turn affect the central nervous system. 

---