Method for the treatment of hypotension induced by a cytokine or bacterial endotoxin using s-alkyl- isothioureido-amino acids

A method for treatment of a subject for systemic hypotension caused by pathological overproduction of nitric oxide from arginine by nitric oxide synthase induced in said subject with a cytokine or by a bacterial endotoxin, said method comprising administering to a subject in need of said treatment a conventional therapeutically effective amount of at least one .alpha..sub.1 -adrenergic agonist and an amount of a compound effective to restore vascular contractile sensitivity to the effects of said .alpha..sub.1 -adrenergic agonist, said compound which is effective to restore vascular contractile sensitivity to the effects of said .alpha..sub.1 -adrenergic agonist being a physiologically active compound including an N.sup..delta. -substituted ornithine moiety or an N.sup..epsilon. -substituted lysine moiety or a monoalkyl carbon-substituted N.sup..delta. -substituted ornithine moiety or an N.sup..epsilon. -substituted lysine moiety, having the formula ##STR3## wherein R is (CH.sub.2).sub.y CH.sub.3 or H, R' is CH.sub.2 or C(H)(CH.sub.2).sub.y CH.sub.3, and R" is CH.sub.2 or C(H)(CH.sub.2).sub.y CH.sub.3, with y ranging from 0 to 5, and x is 0 or 1 and wherein none or only one of R, R' and R" provides an alkyl substituent on ornithine or lysine moiety, and wherein Q is alkyl having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and physiologically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.