Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1971 Apr;214(1):15–28. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009416

The inotropic and chronotropic effects of catecholamines on the dog heart

C M Furnival, R J Linden, H M Snow
PMCID: PMC1331819  PMID: 5575353

Abstract

1. The chronotropic and inotropic responses of the denervated dog heart to intravenous infusions of noradrenaline, adrenaline and isoprenaline were studied.

2. The maximum rate of rise of pressure in the left ventricle of the heart, (dP/dt max) measured at a constant heart rate and mean systemic arterial pressure during each series of infusions, was used as an index of inotropic changes (Furnival, Linden & Snow, 1970).

3. The order of potency of the catecholamines in producing both chronotropic and inotropic effects was isoprenaline > adrenaline > noradrenaline.

4. For the same increase in heart rate produced by an infusion of a catecholamine, noradrenaline caused a greater inotropic effect than adrenaline, which in turn caused a greater increase than isoprenaline.

5. The chronotropic and inotropic effects of noradrenaline were potentiated by an intravenous injection of cocaine HCl (5 mg/kg), whereas those of isoprenaline were unchanged.

6. The relative difference between the responses to noradrenaline and isoprenaline was abolished by an intravenous injection of cocaine HCl.

7. It is concluded that the different relative chronotropic and inotropic effects of isoprenaline and noradrenaline are due to the greater uptake of noradrenaline by sympathetic nerve endings in the sinu-atrial node than in the muscle of the left ventricle.

Full text

PDF
15

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANGELAKOS E. T., FUXE K., TORCHIANA M. L. CHEMICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF CATECHOLAMINES IN THE RABBIT AND GUINEA PIG HEARTS. Acta Physiol Scand. 1963 Sep-Oct;59:184–192. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1963.tb02734.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. ANGELAKOS E. T. REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF CATECHOLAMINES IN THE DOG HEART. Circ Res. 1965 Jan;16:39–44. doi: 10.1161/01.res.16.1.39. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Avakian O. V., Gillespie J. S. Uptake of noradrenaline by adrenergic nerves, smooth muscle and connective tissue in isolated perfused arteries and its correlation with the vasoconstrictor response. Br J Pharmacol Chemother. 1968 Jan;32(1):168–184. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1968.tb00441.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. COBBOLD A. F., GINSBURG J., PATON A. Circulatory, respiratory and metabolic responses to isopropylnoradrenaline in man. J Physiol. 1960 Jun;151:539–550. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1960.sp006458. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Furnival C. M., Linden R. J., Snow H. M. Inotropic changes in the left ventricle: the effect of changes in heart rate, aortic pressure and end-diastolic pressure. J Physiol. 1970 Dec;211(2):359–387. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1970.sp009283. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gillespie J. S. Tissue binding of noradrenaline. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1966 Nov 15;166(1002):1–10. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1966.0081. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HERTTING G., AXELROD J., KOPIN I. J., WHITBY L. G. Lack of uptake of catecholamines after chronic denervation of sympathetic nerves. Nature. 1961 Jan 7;189:66–66. doi: 10.1038/189066a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hardman J. G., Mayer S. E., Clark B. Cocaine potentiation of the cardiac inotropic and phosphorylase responses to catecholamines as related to the uptake of H3-catecholamines. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1965 Dec;150(3):341–348. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. LANDS A. M., BROWN T. G., Jr A COMPARISON OF THE CARDIAC STIMULATING AND BRONCHODILATOR ACTIONS OF SELECTED SYMPATHOMIMETIC AMINES. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1964 Jun;116:331–333. doi: 10.3181/00379727-116-29239. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LANDS A. M., HOWARD J. W. A comparative study of the effects of 1-arterenol, epinephrine and isopropylarterenol on the heart. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1952 Sep;106(1):65–76. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LANDS A. M., LUDUENA F. P., TULLAR B. F. The pharmacologic activity of the optical isomers of isopropylarterenol (isuprel) compared with that of the optically inactive analog 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-isoprophylaminoethane HCI. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1954 Aug;111(4):469–474. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ledsome J. R., Linden R. J., Norman J. An anaesthetic machine for dogs. J Physiol. 1967 Jul;191(2):61P–62P. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Norman J., Ledsome J. R., Linden R. J. A system for the measurement of respiratory and acid-base parameters in blood. Br J Anaesth. 1965 Jul;37(7):466–479. doi: 10.1093/bja/37.7.466. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SARNOFF S. J., MITCHELL J. H., GILMORE J. P., REMENSNYDER J. P. Homeometric autoregulation in the heart. Circ Res. 1960 Sep;8:1077–1091. doi: 10.1161/01.res.8.5.1077. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. von Anrep G. On the part played by the suprarenals in the normal vascular reactions of the body. J Physiol. 1912 Dec 9;45(5):307–317. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1912.sp001553. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES