The effects of amantadine, rimantadine and levodopa on the frequency of fibrillation potentials in denervated muscle.
Right mid-thigh sciatic denervation was performed in 59 rats. Eleven days later they were assigned into 4 groups: a control group that was injected intraperitoneally with normal saline, and 3 test groups that were injected intraperitoneally with amantadine, rimantadine or levodopa (50 mg/kg each), for 3 consecutive days. On the fourteenth day, 2 h after the third injection, electromyography of the soleus-gastrocnemius muscles was performed under pentothal anesthesia. Fibrillation potentials were counted. The statistical analysis showed significant reduction of fibrillations secondary to levodopa and to amantadine injections. Rimantadine did not change the frequency of fibrillations. A stabilizing effect of levodopa and amantadine on the denervated plasmalemma is postulated.
D000109:Acetylcholine; D000218:Adamantane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000547:Amantadine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004576:Electromyography; D007980:Levodopa / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009121:Muscle Denervation; D051381:Rats; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000502:physiology; D012299:Rimantadine / Q000494:pharmacology*
D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D012299:Rimantadine; D007980:Levodopa; D000547:Amantadine; D000109:Acetylcholine; D000218:Adamantane