Effect of antiarrhythmic drugs on serum free fatty acid levels during experimental cardiac arrhythmias in the cat.
The level of free fatty acid (FFA) in serum has been estimated before and after ventricular fibrillation (VF) induced by electrical stimulation, intravenous administration of ouabain, aconitine or ligation of the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery. FFA contents were found to be significantly increased after VF. Quinidine, disopyramide, lidocaine and phenoxybenzamine, when administered intravenously 30 min before electrical stimulation (E.S.), have no effect on serum FFA contents by themselves. All the antiarrhythmic drugs except phenoxybenzamine prevent the rise in FFA contents normally observed after VF. These drugs in appropriate doses also protect the animals against VF upto 100 volts. Propranolol did not provide protection against VF but prevented increase in FFA levels. Verapamil neither showed any protection against VF nor blocked the elevation of FFA after E.S. These results indicate that most of the antiarrhythmic drugs which are effective against the precipitation of VF by E.S. block the increase in serum FFA levels.
D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002415:Cats; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified