Toxic effect of the glycoalkaloids solanine and tomatine on cultured neonatal rat heart cells.

The toxic effects of the glycoalkaloids, alpha-solanine and tomatine, were studied in beating heart cell cultures from 1--2-day-old rats. After addition of alpha-solanine (80 microgram/ml) and tomatine (40 microgram/ml) to the culture medium, the cells ceased beating within a few minutes. At a concentration of 40 microgram/ml alpha-solanine and 20 microgram/ml tomatine, both compounds caused a pronounced increase of the contraction frequency, lasting for at least 2h. K-strophantin, a reference heart glycoside, caused arrhythmic beating at 20 microgram/ml and complete cessation of contractions at 160 microgram/ml.