Plasma levels and cardiac electrophysiological effects of melperone in the dog

The butyrophenone neuroleptic melperone has recently been shown to possess antiarrhythmic properties in man and animals. We studied the correlation between plasma concentration of melperone and the electrophysiological and blood pressure effects of the drug in 20 pentobarbital-anaesthetized dogs. Linear correlations were found between the log melperone plasma concentration and decreases in mean aortic blood pressure and heart rate, and increases in atrial and AV nodal refractoriness. The correlations were better after pretreatment with the beta 1-blocker atenolol. There was a linear correlation between log melperone plasma concentration and increases in ventricular refractoriness only after atenolol. No correlation was found between log melperone plasma concentration and decreases in AV nodal conduction time. Apart from the effect on AV nodal conduction time, the relationship between plasma concentration of melperone and the electrophysiological and blood pressure effects after beta 1-blockade fits well into an overall log concentration-effect relationship. The poorer correlation without beta 1-blockade was probably due to a combination of direct and indirect effects of the drug.