title: Verapamil prevents isoproterenol-induced cardiac failure in the rat.
abstract: Virgin, male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to study the production of cardiac failure by a single subcutaneous injection of 85 mg/kg dl-isoproterenol (ISO) and the possible preservation of cardiac function by a pre-treatment of 50 mg/kg verapamil (VER) 5 min prior to 85 mg/kg ISO. At 24 hrs after drug injections cardiac function was assessed in anesthetized, open-chest rats by the measurement of cardiac output and by a volume loading of the heart with a 2 min, 15.3 ml/min jugular vein infusion of Tyrode's solution. Peak cardiac index and peak stroke index were depressed by ISO. VER completely prevented these signs of ISO-induced cardiac failure. A second group of rats was sacrificed 24 hrs after ISO and VER-ISO and their left ventricular calcium contents were determined. ISO caused a significant increase in left ventricular calcium content. VER attenuated the ISO-induced increase in myocardial calcium content, but did not prevent it. This data raises questions as to whether VER's property as a transarcolemmal calcium flux inhibitor was the mechanism of preservation of cardiac function following ISO administration. It is possible that VER may have preserved cardiac function by altering ISO-induced hemodynamic changes in the rat.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014700:Verapamil; D007545:Isoproterenol; D002118:Calcium