Protective effects of berberine on spontaneous ventricular fibrillation in dogs after myocardial infarction

The effects of berberine (Ber 5 mg/kg iv) on ventricular tachyarrhythmias and electrophysiologic consequences in both normal and ischemic myocardium were studied in the open-chest dogs subjected to programmed electrical stimulation (PES) and intimal surface anodal direct current stimulation of the circumflex coronary artery on 5-8 d after acute myocardial infarction. Its effects were compared with procainamide (PA). Both drugs distinctly lengthened the QTc interval and the effective refractory period (ERP) of normal and infarct myocardium in both ventricles and decreased the dispersion of ERP in infarct myocardium (IDR) as well as the dispersion of ERP in left ventricle (VDR). The PES-induced ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) was prevented in 4 out of 6 Ber treated and 5 out of 6 PA treated dogs. Ber prevented spontaneous VF in 4 dogs (n = 5). PA prevented spontaneous VF in 3 dogs (n = 5). Normal saline (NS) did not prevent PES-induced VT/VF and spontaneous VF. The results suggest that Ber may be effective in preventing the onset of reentrant ventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden coronary death after myocardial ischemic damage.