title: Antiarrhythmic action of naloxone. Suppression of picrotoxin-induced cardiac arrhythmias in the rat.
abstract: The antiarrhythmic properties of the opiate antagonist naloxone have been reported in a variety of models of arrhythmia. To determine the generality and the possible central involvement of its antiarrhythmic activity, the effects of naloxone were assessed against cardiac arrhythmias induced by intravenous bolus injections of picrotoxin. Naloxone at doses of 0.33 and 1 mg/kg significantly reduced the incidence and severity of picrotoxin-induced arrhythmias in a dose-related manner, without alteration of blood pressure and heart rate. The results demonstrate the antiarrhythmic efficacy of naloxone in an additional animal model. They further suggest that the antiarrhythmic actions of naloxone may be mediated by the central nervous system via both the autonomic and GABAergic pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009270:Naloxone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010852:Picrotoxin; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D009270:Naloxone; D010852:Picrotoxin