Effect of aminophylline preperfusion on digoxin-induced cardiac arrest in isolated frog heart.

Digoxin (DGN) and aminophylline (theophylline ethylenediamine, APH) being frequently prescribed cardioactive drugs, the present study investigated the effect of APH (10(-4) M) preperfusion on DGN-cardiotoxicity employing the isolated frog heart preparation. The mean DGN perfusion time (sec) and mean DGN exposure (microgram/10 mg heart wt.) for cardiac arrest were the parameters studied. APH preperfusion caused a significant elevation in both the parameters, signifying that it afforded protection against DGN-cardiotoxicity. This protective effect was not observed with the preperfusion of ethylenediamine (EDA) instead of APH, which led to the inference that the protective effect of APH was solely due to its theophylline component. The present finding that APH-pretreatment might modulate DGN-cardiotoxicity, of considerable pharmaco-toxicological interest.