Effect of berberine on reperfusion arrhythmias in the isolated rat heart

Effect of berberine on reperfusion arrhythmias was studied using a10min left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by reperfusionin the isolated rat heart.Berberine when given 10min before coronary ligation re-duced the incidence of reperfusion arrhythmias in a dose-dependent manner.With10~(-5),3.16×10~(-5) and 10~(-4)mol/L of berberine,ventricular fibrillation was reducedfrom its control incidence of 100% to 90%,70% and 40% (P<0.05) respectively.Heart rate was also reduced in a dose-dependent manner,falling from its controlvalue of 282±11 to 180±11 beats/min with the highest concentration of berberine.Coronary flow was increased in all berberine treated groups.With anantiarrhythmic dose of berberine (10~(-4)mol/L),hearts were paced (5 Hz) duringischemia period;under these conditions the anti-arrhythmic effect of berberinewas lost.When berberine (3.16×10~(-5) and 10~(-4)mol/L) was administered just beforereperfusion,no anti-arrhythmic effects were observed.The α-adrenoceptor antago-nist phentolamine (2.6×10~(-5)mol/L) prevented reperfusion arrhythmias and ismuch more effective than berberine.These results suggest that the prophylatic ef-fects of berberine on reperfusion arrhythmias in the isolated rat heart are due toits negative chronotropic properties.

Effect of berberine on reperfusion arrhythmias in the isolated rat heart