In mammals, isoproterenol may produce heart damage in part by binding to adrenergic receptors in the coronary arteries. Previously we showed evidence that isoproterenol produces cellular necrosis and interstitial fibrosis in the ventricle of the heart of an amphibian, which has no coronary arteries. The present study examines responses to 3-adrenergic receptor stimulation in the heart of urodele amphibians. The hearts from three amphibians; Ambystoma mexicanum, A. tigrinum and A. dumerilii were mounted in an organ bath at 16+/-2 degrees C. The spontaneous isometric contractions (heart rate and isometric tension) were recorded using a tension transducer connected to polygraph. Concentration-response to isoproterenol in the presence and absence of propranolol (10(-6)) was recorded. The basal heart rate in the A. mexicanum heart was 19+/-2 beats/min and in A. tigrinum and A. dumerilii was 14+/-2 beats/min. The auricular tension was 284+/-15, 190+/-10, 140+/-8 mg, while the ventricular tension was of 62+/-3, 55+/-2 and 29+/-2 mg for A. mexicanum, A. tigrinum and A. dumenrilii respectively. Isoproterenol (10(-9), 10(-6), 10(-3) M) increased the heart rate and tension in a dose-dependent manner, and the effect was reversed in presence of propranolol. Our results indicate that isoproterenol-induced heart damage in urodele amphibians can be mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors located in the heart muscle. In the future, it will be necessary to characterize adrenergic receptor subtypes directly in these species, in order to understand the mechanism underlying the use of isoproterenol in experimental models of cardiac injury in non- mammalian vertebrates.