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British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1987 Oct;92(2):363–370. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1987.tb11332.x

Effects of amiodarone and thyroid dysfunction on myocardial calcium, serum calcium and thyroid hormones in the rat.

M D Gammage 1, J A Franklyn 1, S D Logan 1
PMCID: PMC1853648  PMID: 3676598

Abstract

1 Myocardial calcium content was found to be elevated and serum calcium reduced in hypothyroid rats. 2 Treatment of rats with amiodarone at either 30 mg kg-1 or 150 mg kg-1 daily did not result in any significant changes in myocardial or serum calcium. 3 The administration of amiodarone to hypothyroid rats attenuated the changes in serum but not myocardial calcium, suggesting that amiodarone may exert a thyroid hormone-like effect in the hypothyroid state. 4 The administration of amiodarone to thyroid hormone-treated rats resulted in attenuation of the effects on serum calcium and calculated intracellular calcium; this was consistent with an antagonistic interaction between amiodarone and thyroid hormones. 5 Administration of amiodarone resulted in significant changes in circulating thyroid hormone levels in the rat; triiodothyronine was reduced and basal thyrotrophin elevated compared to euthyroid controls. Serum thyroxine was not changed; this is in contrast to the effects in man. 6 Amiodarone does not exert its anti-arrhythmic action via changes in total myocardial calcium content in the euthyroid rat; nonetheless the described interactions between the drug and thyroid hormones may be involved in its mechanism of action.

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Selected References

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

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