EFFECTS OF SUMATRIPTAN ON ISOLATED RABBIT HEART

Sumatriptan provokes, in healthy subjects as well as in those who suff er from hemicrania, a slight increase in both systolic and diastolic a rterial pressure. It has also been shown to increase the pressure of p ulmonary circulation and to reduce the calibre of coronary arteries. T he present investigation was undertaken to study the effects of sumatr iptan (75 ng/l) on isolated rabbit hearts. Fifteen isolated rabbit hea rts, perfused according to Langerdoff's procedure, were divided into t wo groups: Group I (5 hearts), perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution, as a control, and Group II (10 hearts), perfused with Krebs-Henseleit mixed with sumatriptan succinate (75 ng/l). After 30 min of perfusion , the basal values of heart rate (HR) dp/dt, systolic ventricular pres sure (SVP), diastolic ventricular pressure (DVP) and coronary flow (CF ) were measured. The above values in either control or treated hearts were measured 5, 15, 30, 45, 60 min after recording the baseline value s. HR, SVP, DVP, dp/dt and CF did not show significant differences in the two groups. The present data suggest that sumatriptan does not exe rt any action on isolated rabbit hearts.