[Prevention of ischemic and re-oxygenation arrhythmias and heart fibrillation using the antioxidant ionol].

The effect of a synthetic antioxidant, ionol (2,4-ditrebutyl-4-methylphenol) on cardiac arrhythmias induced by 10-minute occlusion of the left coronary artery followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion (RP) was investigated. The study was performed on male Wistar rats, 250-300 g body weight. The animals were ventilated with room air under urethan anesthesia. RP induced more severe ventricular arrhythmias than ischemia (IS). During RP ventricular fibrillation developed in 12 and during IS in 2 out of 24 animals. Other types of arrhythmias--tachycardia and extrasystole--were also more pronounced during RP than during IS. Preadministration of animals with ionol (60 mg/kg, per os) abolished completely ventricular fibrillation during IS and RP. Ionol reduced considerably the incidence of tachycardia and extrasystole, shortening their duration 5-7-fold. The data suggest that the activation of lipid peroxidation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrillation and open prospects for the prevention and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with antioxidants.