Neuroexcitatory effects of digoxin in the cat

Abstract

The effect of intravenous injections of digoxin (20 mug/kg every 15 minutes) on spontaneously occurring activity in autonomic efferent nerves, motor nerves, afferent nerves, electrocardiogram and on arterial blood pressure was evaluated in chloralose-anesthetized cats. Administration of digoxin enhanced neural activity in pre- and postganglionic cardiac synpathetic nerves and this enhancement occurred near the time the disturbances in ventricular rhym were noted. Neural activity continued to increase during ventricular tachycardia and maximum enhancement was observed just proir to ventricular fibrillation. Similar results were observed when digoxin was administered to animals in which neural activity was recorded from preganglionic splanchnic and superior cervical nerves. Digoxin administration also increased discharge frequency from vagus (efferent fibers), phrenic and carotid sinus nerves. Denervation of cardiovascular reflexogenic areas prevented the increased discharge in vagus nerves, reduced it in phrenic nerves, but did not affect nerve discharge in sympathetic nerves. These results suggest that digoxin-induced hyperactivity in synpathetic nerves was related to a central nervous system effect of the drug, whereas the mechanism for the digoxin-induced hyperactivity in vagus nerves involved a peripheral reflex effect of the drug. Both sites were involved in the digoxin-induced hyperactivity in phrenic nerves. Enhancement of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity appeared to be responsible for the ventricular arrhythmias provoked by digoxin as 1) a temporal relationship was observed between augmented nerve activity and arrhythmia development, 2) a centrally acting sympathetic nervous system depressant drug, clonidine, converted the ventricular arrhythmia to normal rhythm, and 3) removal of sympathetic influence to the heart by spinal cord transection decreased the sensitivity of the heart to the arrhythmogenic effect of digoxin. These results suggest that digoxin partially responsible for its cardiotoxic effects.