Antiarrhythmic effect of amperozide, a novel psychotropic compound with class III antiarrhythmic properties, on digoxin-induced arrhythmias in the guinea-pig

Amperozide is a novel psychotropic compound with specific effect in limbic brain areas. Preliminary findings have also indicated an antiarrhythmic effect in-vitro. Injections of saline, amperozide, melperone, thioridazine, bretylium or lignocaine, were given i.p. to anaesthetized guinea-pigs, which 10 min later were given digoxin s.c. to induce arrhythmia. In a series of control experiments none of these compounds caused arrhythmia in combination with the vehicle of digoxin. The time to arrhythmia was significantly prolonged after treatment with amperozide, melperone and bretylium compared with saline, but there were no differences between the treatments. The digoxin concentrations in plasma at death varied considerably within the groups and no statistical significance was found.