Piperazine protects the rat heart against sudden cardiac death from barium chloride-induced ventricular fibrillation.
Fifteen of 20 Wistar albino rats were treated with various doses of the anthelmintic agent piperazine citrate (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg body weight). All 20 rats were subsequently given barium chloride, 20 mg/kg. The 5 rats (25%) that did not receive piperazine citrate developed ventricular fibrillations after barium chloride was administered to them, via one of the external jugular veins, and died shortly thereafter. The remaining 75% of the rats were fully protected by all the doses of piperazine citrate employed for the study. Barium chloride did not produce any dysrhythmic phenomenon in the piperazine-protected rats. Conversely, sinus rhythm was maintained in the electrocardiogram of all the rats, with every P wave followed by a normal QRS-T complex. This may portend a novel application for an old drug.
Ghasi
Samuel
S
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Nigeria College of Medicine, Enugu, Nigeria. samuelghasi@yahoo.com
D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017609:Barium Compounds; D002712:Chlorides; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D000077489:Piperazine; D010879:Piperazines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000871:Anthelmintics; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D017609:Barium Compounds; D002712:Chlorides; D010879:Piperazines; C024986:barium chloride; D000077489:Piperazine