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The influence of putrescine on cardiac arrhythmias induced by either permanent ligature of the left anterior coronary artery or heart reperfusion following a 5-min coronary occlusion was studied in anesthetized rats. Reperfusion-induced arrhythmias were significantly prevented by the i.v. injection of 150-200 mg/kg of putrescine, the survival rate being 100% in treated animals and 40% in controls. At a dose level of 200-300 mg/kg i.v., putrescine also significantly reduced the duration of ventricular tachycardia induced by permanent coronary occlusion. These findings show that putrescine significantly reduces the consequences of cardiac ischemia and reperfusion, probably as a consequence of its multiple stabilizing effects at the membrane level.

Putrescine, (150-300 mg kg-1 i.v.) injected into anaesthetized rats reversed aconitine-induced arrhythmia and restored sinus rhythm. In the same experimental model, quinidine and lignocaine had a transient therapeutic effect, procainamide was practically ineffective and verapamil worsened the aconitine arrhythmia, causing the death of all treated animals. These data demonstrate that putrescine has an antiarrhythmic effect in an experimental model particularly resistant to usual antiarrhythmic treatments.