Effects of acute administration of ethanol on experimental arrhythmia.

Abstract

Many studies have shown that the relationship between alcohol consumption and most cardiovascular diseases is U-shaped, with nondrinkers and heavier drinkers having higher risks than moderate drinkers. However, the association between cardiac arrhythmias and acute alcohol consumption is not well understood. We set up several experimental arrhythmia animal models to examine the effects of acute administration of ethanol on arrhythmia. The results showed 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg ethanol consumption obviously delayed the onset time of atrial fibrillation (AF) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) and increased the survival rates on acetylcholine-CaCl₂-induced AF in mice. Ethanol (0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg) consumption significantly delayed the onset time of ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and cardiac arrest (CA) (P < 0.01), and 0.4 and 0.8 g/kg ethanol consumption increased the survival rates on CaCl₂-induced arrhythmia in rats. Ethanol (0.4 g/kg) essentially increased the cumulative dosage of aconitine required to CA (P < 0.05), and 0.8 g/kg, 1.6 g/kg ethanol reduced the cumulative aconitine dosage to induce VT, VF and CA (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) on aconitine-induced arrhythmia in rats. Ethanol (0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg) consumption remarkably increased the cumulative dosage of deslanoside to induce ventricualr premature contraction (P < 0.01) on deslanoside-induced arrhythmia in guinea pigs. Collectively, our results indicate that low concentrations of ethanol had anti-arrhythmic effect on experimental arrhythmia, and high concentrations of ethanol may aggravated the occurrence of experimental arrhythmia.

• Authors: Yang Gao, Peng Li, Li-Xia Ma, Ke-Xin Du, Xing-Hui Wang, Meng-Jie Tang, Hui-Kang He, Xiao-Jiang Yu, Wei-Jin Zang, Hao Hu
• Journal: The Chinese journal of physiology (Chin J Physiol) Vol. 55 Issue 5 Pg. 307-13 (Oct 31 2012) ISSN: 0304-4920 [Print] India
• PMID: 23282204 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Cardiotonic Agents
• Central Nervous System Depressants
• Cholinergic Agonists
• Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Agonists
• Ethanol
• Calcium Chloride
• Acetylcholine
• Aconitine
• Deslanoside

Topics

• Acetylcholine (toxicity)
• Aconitine (toxicity)
• Animals
• Arrhythmias, Cardiac (chemically induced, drug therapy, mortality)
• Atrial Fibrillation (chemically induced, drug therapy, mortality)
• Calcium Chloride (toxicity)
• Cardiotonic Agents (toxicity)
• Central Nervous System Depressants (blood, pharmacology)
• Cholinergic Agonists (toxicity)
• Deslanoside (toxicity)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Drug Interactions
• Ethanol (blood, pharmacology)
• Guinea Pigs
• Heart Arrest (chemically induced, mortality, physiopathology)
• Male
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred ICR
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Risk Factors
• Tachycardia, Ventricular (chemically induced, drug therapy, mortality)
• Ventricular Fibrillation (chemically induced, drug therapy, mortality)
• Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Agonists (toxicity)