Antiarrhythmic effects and ionic mechanisms of oxymatrine from Sophora flavescens

Phytother Res. 2010 Dec;24(12):1844-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3206.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates that oxymatrine may exert protective effects on the cardiovascular system. This study was designed to evaluate the antiarrhythmic effects as well as the electrophysiological properties of oxymatrine. The antiarrhythmic activity of oxymatrine was observed in a rat model of arrhythmia induced by coronary ligation. Action potential duration (APD), L-type calcium current (I(Ca-L) ), transient outward potassium current (I(to) ) and inward rectifier potassium current (I(K1)) in rat ventricular myocytes were recorded by utilizing the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The results showed that administration of oxymatrine significantly delayed the onset of ventricular arrhythmia, decreased the duration of ventricular arrhythmia and reduced the arrhythmia score of arrhythmic rats. The beneficial effects of oxymatrine may be related to the shortening of APD through reduction of I(Ca-L) , enhancement of I(to) and inhibition of I(K1).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / drug effects
  • Alkaloids / pharmacology*
  • Animals
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / pharmacology*
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / drug therapy*
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
  • Calcium Channels, L-Type / drug effects
  • Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac
  • Male
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / drug effects*
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying / drug effects
  • Quinolizines / pharmacology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Sophora / chemistry*

Substances

  • Alkaloids
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
  • Calcium Channels, L-Type
  • Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying
  • Quinolizines
  • oxymatrine