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Updated: Oct 20, 2026

Methods for ECG Evaluation of Indicators of Cardiac Risk, and Susceptibility to Aconitine-induced Arrhythmias in Rats Following Status Epilepticus
Published on: April 5, 2011
Interaction between succinylcholine and ranitidine in rats
Abstract:
The hypothesis that the histamine H2 receptor blocker ranitidine potentiates neuromuscular paralysis during anaesthesia was tested in vivo in urethane anaesthetised and mechanically ventilated rats. Succinylcholine was administered as a bolus and constant-rate infusion to maintain 48.5% (+/- 2.5 SEM) tibialis anterior muscle paralysis in 14 rats. Ranitidine 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg.kg-1 iv, was then administered into groups of three or five rats. Ranitidine produced an immediate potentiation of neuromuscular paralysis followed by a transient reversal and then a continued steady-state potentiation. Peak potentiation occurred within 20 (+/- 3.3) sec and was maintained in all the rats to steady-state. Peak reversal was evident 70 (+/- 8.1) sec after ranitidine administration. There was an excellent relationship (r2 = 0.98, P < 0.001) between peak potentiation and serum ranitidine concentration with 50% potentiation occurring at 25.8 (+/- 1.1) micrograms.ml-1. There was a weak relationship (r2 = 0.39, P < 0.05) between peak reversal and serum ranitidine but potentiation at steady-state was not correlated to serum ranitidine concentration (r2 = 0.19, P > 0.05). These results show that ranitidine alters the neuromuscular action of succinylcholine in rats in a similar manner to cimetidine.
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