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Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Novel Apparatus and Method for Drug Reinforcement
Published on: August 20, 2010
Catecholamines, cocaine toxicity, and their antidotes in the rat
R Trouve1, G G Nahas, W M Manger
1Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032.
Abstract:
Acute lethal cocaine intoxication in the rat induces significant increases of plasma dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine concentrations associated with cardiac functional and morphologic changes. Nitrendipine (a calcium channel antagonist) administered 5 min following cocaine administration lowers catecholamine concentration and restores cardiovascular function to normal, while preventing lethality, and so does enalaprilat (an enzyme-converting inhibitor) administration with diazepam. Cocaine cardiac toxicity in the rat appears to be associated with a significant stimulation of the sympathoadrenal and a sustained elevated plasma concentration of epinephrine. The renin angiotensin system also appears to be activated.
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