Higenamine as a Potential Pharmacologic Stress Agent in the Detection of Coronary Artery Disease

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is valuable for the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of coronary artery disease (CAD). The most commonly used pharmacologic stress agents at present are vasodilators and adrenergic agents. However, these agents have contraindications and may cause adverse effects in some patients. Thus, other stress agents feasible for more patients are required. Higenamine (HG) is a β-adrenergic receptor agonist currently approved for clinical trials as a stress agent for myocardial infarction. It also has a promising value in MPI for the detection of CAD in preclinical and clinical studies. This review summarizes the application of HG on MPI, including its mechanism of action, stress protocol, efficacy, and safety.