Paper
Development of a Rat Model for Aconitine Toxicity
- Authors:
- Kristie A; Stephen S; David A
- Abstract
- Objective: To develop a simple and reliable rat model for the induction of aconitine-induced ventricular arrhythmias and then to test calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate as potential antidotes. Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to a dosing study to determine the amount of aconitine that was required to consistently induce ventricular tachycardia. Calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate were tested in two separate experiments for their ability to reverse the cardiac toxicity of the aconitine. All animals had medications infused through their jugular veins and were continually monitored for Heart Rate (HR) and rhythm. The primary endpoint was cessation of the ventricular dysrhythmia as measured by heart rate. T-tests were utilized to compare the mean heart rates (beats per min ± standard deviation) between groups. Results: An induction dose of 625 µg/kg of aconite was found to consistently induce sustained ventricular tachycardia. Calcium chloride infusions ranging from 10 mg/kg to 330 mg/kg failed to halt the aconitine-induced ventricular dysrhythmia and also led to shortened survival times. Magnesium sulfate with dosing range from 5 mg/kg to 150 mg/kg also failed to halt the aconitine-induced ventricular dysrhythmias but did not affect the survival times. Conclusion: A simple rat model for the induction of ventricular dysrhythmias from aconitine toxicity was developed. Calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate were not found to be effective in reversing this toxicity.
- Keywords
- Aconitine; Ventricular tachycardia; Chinese traditional medicine
- StartPage
- 138
- EndPage
- 141
- Doi