The inotropic and chronotropic effects of catecholamines on the dog heart

1. The chronotropic and inotropic responses of the denervated dog heart to intravenous infusions of noradrenaline, adrenaline and isoprenaline were studied.2. The maximum rate of rise of pressure in the left ventricle of the heart, (dP/dt max) measured at a constant heart rate and mean systemic arterial pressure during each series of infusions, was used as an index of inotropic changes (Furnival, Linden & Snow, 1970).3. The order of potency of the catecholamines in producing both chronotropic and inotropic effects was isoprenaline > adrenaline > noradrenaline.4. For the same increase in heart rate produced by an infusion of a catecholamine, noradrenaline caused a greater inotropic effect than adrenaline, which in turn caused a greater increase than isoprenaline.5. The chronotropic and inotropic effects of noradrenaline were potentiated by an intravenous injection of cocaine HCl (5 mg/kg), whereas those of isoprenaline were unchanged.6. The relative difference between the responses to noradrenaline and isoprenaline was abolished by an intravenous injection of cocaine HCl.7. It is concluded that the different relative chronotropic and inotropic effects of isoprenaline and noradrenaline are due to the greater uptake of noradrenaline by sympathetic nerve endings in the sinu-atrial node than in the muscle of the left ventricle.