1. In-vitro examination of the positive inotropic effect of caffeine and taurine, the two most frequent active ingredients of energy drinks
- Author
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Christian-Friedrich Vahl, Ryan Chaban, Andres Beiras-Fernandez, K. Buschmann, Angela Kornberger, N. Branski, and Nicole Stumpf
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Inotrope ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Taurine ,lcsh:Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system ,Cardiotonic Agents ,Time Factors ,Contraction (grammar) ,Dose ,Energy drinks ,Isometric exercise ,In Vitro Techniques ,Contractile force ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Internal medicine ,Caffeine ,medicine ,Humans ,Atrial Appendage ,Duration of contraction ,Aged ,Active ingredient ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,business.industry ,Cardiac Pacing, Artificial ,Positive inotropic effect ,Correction ,Middle Aged ,Myocardial Contraction ,In vitro ,Endocrinology ,chemistry ,lcsh:RC666-701 ,Anesthesia ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business ,Research Article - Abstract
Background Our study aimed to evaluate changes in the contractile behavior of human myocardium after exposure to caffeine and taurine, the main active ingredients of energy drinks (EDs), and to evaluate whether taurine exhibits any inotropic effect at all in the dosages commonly used in EDs. Methods Myocardial tissue was removed from the right atrial appendages of patients undergoing cardiac surgery and prepared to obtain specimens measuring 4 mm in length. A total of 92 specimens were exposed to electrical impulses at a frequency of 75 bpm for at least 40 min to elicit their maximum contractile force before measuring the isometric contractile force (ICF) and duration of contraction (CD). Following this, each specimen was treated with either taurine (group 1, n = 29), or caffeine (group 2, n = 31) or both (group 3, n = 32). After exposure, ICF and CD measuring were repeated. Post-treatment values were compared with pre-treatments values and indicated as percentages. Results Exposure to taurine did not alter the contraction behavior of the specimens. Exposure to caffeine, in contrast, led to a significant increase in ICF (118 ± 03%, p
- Published
- 2017