Singal P K, Dhillon K S, Beamish R E, Kapur N, Dhalla N S
Br J Exp Pathol. 1982 Apr;63(2):167-76.
In vivo effects of adrenochrome (1-32 mg/kg), an oxidation product of catecholamines, on the heart ultrastructure, ECG and blood pressure were studied in rats over a period of 60 min following a single i.v. injection of the drug. One milligram of the drug had no influence on the myocardium or the cardiovascular system, whereas maximum changes in these parameters were recorded at 32 mg/kg of adrenochrome. The maximum structural damage, reached within 5-10 min, included marked swelling of mitochondria and sarcotubular system, intracellular and perinuclear oedema, hypercontraction of myofibrils and partial separation of the intercalated disc. Ultrastructural changes in the myocardium due to 4 and 8 mg of adrenochrome were not accompanied by any cardiovascular effects and the changes were fully reversed within 60 min of the injection of the drug. However, at 16 and 32 mg/kg of adrenochrome both heart rate and blood pressure were depressed within 5 min of drug administration. At these concentrations of adrenochrome arrhythmias, mainly due to premature ventricular contractions, were also noticed. Ultrastructural and cardiovascular changes seen at these higher concentrations of adrenochrome showed only a partial recovery. The data indicates that adrenochrome-induced ultrastructural changes in the heart are due to a direct myocardial effect of the drug which may not involve haemodynamic changes and the latter are most probably a consequence of this effect. However, the present study has not been able to rule out direct vascular effects at higher concentrations of adrenochrome.
在大鼠单次静脉注射儿茶酚胺氧化产物肾上腺色素（1 - 32毫克/千克）后60分钟内，研究了其对心脏超微结构、心电图和血压的体内效应。1毫克该药物对心肌或心血管系统无影响，而在32毫克/千克肾上腺色素时记录到这些参数的最大变化。在5 - 10分钟内达到的最大结构损伤包括线粒体和肌管系统明显肿胀、细胞内和核周水肿、肌原纤维过度收缩以及闰盘部分分离。4毫克和8毫克肾上腺色素引起的心肌超微结构变化未伴有任何心血管效应，且在注射药物后60分钟内变化完全逆转。然而，在16毫克/千克和32毫克/千克肾上腺色素时，给药后5分钟内心率和血压均降低。在这些肾上腺色素浓度下，还观察到主要由室性早搏引起的心律失常。在这些较高浓度的肾上腺色素下看到的超微结构和心血管变化仅部分恢复。数据表明，肾上腺色素引起的心脏超微结构变化是由于该药物对心肌的直接作用，可能不涉及血流动力学变化，而后者很可能是这种作用的结果。然而，本研究未能排除在较高浓度肾上腺色素下的直接血管效应。
