acyclovir and Arrhythmias--Cardiac

Given limited information regarding the pathophysiology underlying aciclovir-associated, clinically observed cardiovascular adverse events including chest pain, tachycardia, bradycardia, palpitation, arrhythmia, hypertension and hypotension, we investigated its electropharmacological effects using the halothane-anesthetized beagle dogs. Aciclovir in doses of 2 and 20 mg/kg was sequentially infused over 10 min with an interval of 20 min (n = 4), which would achieve sub-therapeutic to supra-therapeutic levels of plasma concentrations. Aciclovir decreased the total peripheral vascular resistance along with the blood pressure in a dose-related manner, which increased the heart rate, ventricular contraction and atrioventricular nodal conduction speed probably via a reflex-mediated increase of sympathetic tone. No significant change was detected in the intra-atrial or intra-ventricular conduction, indicating that aciclovir may not inhibit atrial or ventricular I

Topics: Action Potentials; Acyclovir; Anesthesia, Inhalation; Anesthetics, Inhalation; Animals; Antiviral Agents; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electrocardiography; Female; Halothane; Heart Conduction System; Heart Rate; Risk Assessment; Time Factors; Toxicity Tests