ANTIARRHYTHMIC EFFECTS OF CAPTOPRIL ON CORONARY-OCCLUSION AND REPERFUSION PERIODS IN PIGS

Anti-arrhythmic effects of captopril (Cap) were studied in the anesthe tized pigs using a reversible balloon catheter. Results showed that Ca p did not exert any influence on the weight percentage of ischemic are a to the whole left ventricle, on the levels of serum creatine kinase (CK ) and creatine kinase isozyme (CK-MB), nor on the incidence and du ration of transient and persistent tachycardia , but reduced the incid ence of ventricular fibrillation (2/12, 1/12 in high-dose group pigs t reated with Cap 6 mg . kg-1 in the first 1 0 min, 25 mug . kg-1 . min- 1 in the later 90 min and 12/21, 11/21 in control group treated with n ormal saline through the occlusion and reperfusion periods, respective ly, P<0.05). It was suggested that Cap did not exhibit direct (or non- specific, if any) effects on anti-arrhythmias.