Protective effect of ethanol against epinephrine-induced myocardial necrosis in rats.

Myocardial necrosis was produced in rats by the subcutaneous injection of a single dose of epinephrine (3 mg base/kg). The severity of the cardiac injury produced was assessed by visual inspection, determination of the release of LDH, CPK, GOT, and HBDH from isolated perfused hearts, and measurement of cardiac uptake of technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate in vivo. Ethanol, given in doses of 0.5 to 6.0 gm/kg 15 minutes or two hours prior to epinephrine administration protected the hearts against the epinephrine-produced injury, the degree of protection increasing with dose. Investigations of possible mechanisms of action of ethanol indicated that the protective action of the latter does not appear to be due to a lowering of plasma free fatty acid levels, a reduction of cardiac contractility, a non-specific caloric effect, an interference with epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation, or ethanol-induced analgesia.