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This small, experimental in vivo study found that DEX was associated with reduced infarct size in ischemia/reperfusion injury in regional ischemia in this rat model but had no effect on the incidence of arrhythmias. Future studies are needed to clarify these findings.

results of the current study indicate that both mitochondrial K(ATP) channel activation and sarcolemmal K(ATP) channel inhibition exert antiarrhythmic action in male rats. The antiarrhythmic effect of pinacidil is not depend on the sarcolemmal K(ATP) channel opening. These results also indicate that K(ATP) channel modulators show no discernable effect in female rats due to the already low incidence of arrhythmias in females.

The effect of glibenclamide and glimepiride, two orally active antidiabetic sulphonylurea derivatives, was investigated on the development of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and it was compared to their blood glucose lowering action. Arrhythmias were produced by reperfusion following 6 min coronary artery ligation in anaesthetised rats. Glimepiride pretreatment (0.001-0.01-0.1-5.0 mg/kg i.p., 30 min before coronary occlusion) significantly decreased the incidence of irreversible ventricular fibrillation and increased the survival rate during reperfusion (64%, 61%, 60%, and 67% vs. 27% in controls). Glibenclamide produced similar effect (81% survival) only in a dose of 5 mg/kg, while smaller doses were ineffective. The minimal hypoglycaemic dose and the dose required to inhibit significantly the oral glucose loading-induced hyperglycaemia were similar (1 and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively) after glibenclamide and glimepiride. It is concluded that although the blood glucose lowering potency of glibenclamide and glimepiride is rather similar, glimepiride appears to be more potent than glibenclamide in preventing reperfusion-induced cardiac arrhythmias.

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