Protective effect of sulfinpyrazone against catecholamine metabolite adrenochrome-induced arrhythmias.

Single intravenous injection of adrenochrome (10 to 50 mg/kg body weight), an oxidation product of catecholamines, has been shown to induce arrhythmias and cause death in anesthetized rats in a dose-dependent manner. Sulfinpyrazone, which is an inhibitor of platelet aggregation, was found to protect animals from these adrenochrome effects. It is suggested that sudden death due to arrhythmias in patients following the first attack of myocardial infarction of during other stressful situations may be linked to the formation of adrenochrome from abnormally high catecholamine levels in blood. Furthermore, results presented here also suggest that the reduction in the mortality rate of patients on sulfinpyrazone therapy may involve an antiarrhythmic property of the drug.