Comparison of thiopental, urethane, and pentobarbital in the study of experimental cardiology in rats in vivo.
BACKGROUND
Despite earlier research studying the influence of anesthetics in arrhythmia models, a lot of controversy remains. The aim was to compare the influence of three anesthetics (60 mg/kg thiopental, 1200 mg/kg urethane, 60 mg/kg pentobarbital intraperitoneally) on ventricular arrhythmias and to combine it with measured hemodynamic parameters to find the most suitable agent for such experiments.


METHODS
In the model of ischemia- and reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in Sprague-Dawley rats, after left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion (7 minutes) and reperfusion (15 minutes), the following parameters have been measured or calculated: mortality index; ventricular fibrillation and tachycardia incidence and duration; systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure; heart rate; myocardial index of oxygen consumption; and plasma creatine kinase concentration.


RESULTS
Evident depressive action of urethane on heart rate, blood pressures, and myocardial index of oxygen consumption should be reason enough to exclude it from use in such studies. Pentobarbital had no effect on arrhythmias, whereas thiopental was antiarrhythmic.


CONCLUSIONS
Pentobarbital is the most suitable anesthetic offering stable hemodynamic values during arrhythmia studies. These hemodynamic values, which were similar to physiological values in awake rats, the long arrhythmia duration during reperfusion and approximately 50% mortality index are crucial parameters for evaluating antiarrhythmic drugs.
Zorniak
Michal
M
Department of Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Research Division, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland. rzurio@interia.pl
Mitrega
Katarzyna
K
Bialka
Szymon
S
Porc
Maurycy
M
Krzeminski
Tadeusz F
TF
D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000187:drug effects; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013874:Thiopental / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D014520:Urethane / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity
D000759:Adjuvants, Anesthesia; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D014520:Urethane; D010424:Pentobarbital; D013874:Thiopental