Cardiac stimulant

A cardiac stimulant is a drug which acts as a stimulant of the heart – e.g., via positive chronotropic action (increased heart rate) and/or inotropic action (increased myocardial contractility). They increase cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped by the heart over time).

Examples

• β₁-Adrenergic receptor agonists like epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, dobutamine, denopamine, isoproterenol, and xamoterol^[1][2]
• Adrenergic agents indirectly activating β₁-adrenergic receptors^[3]
  • Norepinephrine prodrugs like droxidopa
  • Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like atomoxetine, reboxetine, desipramine, nortriptyline, bupropion, milnacipran, methylphenidate, and cocaine^[3]
  • Norepinephrine releasing agents like amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, and mephentermine^[3]
• α₁-Adrenergic receptor antagonists like phentolamine, prazosin, terazosin, and doxazosin^[3]
• α₂-Adrenergic receptor antagonists like phentolamine, yohimbine, and atipamezole^[3]
• Antimuscarinic anticholinergics like atropine^[3]
• Adenosine receptor antagonists like caffeine, theophylline, and aminophylline^[3]
• PDE3 inhibitors like amrinone, milrinone, and pimobendan^[1][2][3]
• Cardiac glycosides like digoxin^[2]
• Other agents like hydralazine, levosimendan, and cannabinoids^[3]

Exercise is also a cardiac stimulant by increasing levels of the sympathomimetic catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine.^[4][5]

References

1. Overgaard CB, Dzavík V (September 2008). "Inotropes and vasopressors: review of physiology and clinical use in cardiovascular disease". Circulation. 118 (10): 1047–56. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.728840. PMID 18765387.
2. Morrill P (January 2000). "Pharmacotherapeutics of positive inotropes". AORN J. 71 (1): 173–8, 181–5, quiz 186–8, 190–2. doi:10.1016/s0001-2092(06)62180-7. PMID 10686650.
3. Mladěnka P, Applová L, Patočka J, Costa VM, Remiao F, Pourová J, Mladěnka A, Karlíčková J, Jahodář L, Vopršalová M, Varner KJ, Štěrba M (July 2018). "Comprehensive review of cardiovascular toxicity of drugs and related agents". Med Res Rev. 38 (4): 1332–1403. doi:10.1002/med.21476. PMC 6033155. PMID 29315692.
4. Hackney AC (November 2006). "Stress and the neuroendocrine system: the role of exercise as a stressor and modifier of stress". Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 1 (6): 783–792. doi:10.1586/17446651.1.6.783. PMC 2953272. PMID 20948580.
5. Grosman-Rimon L, Wright E, Sabovich S, Rimon J, Gleitman S, Sudarsky D, Lubovich A, Gabizon I, Lalonde SD, Tsuk S, McDonald MA, Rao V, Gutterman D, Jorde UP, Carasso S, Kachel E (January 2023). "Relationships among norepinephrine levels, exercise capacity, and chronotropic responses in heart failure patients". Heart Fail Rev. 28 (1): 35–45. doi:10.1007/s10741-022-10232-y. PMID 35325323.

External links

• Media related to Cardiac stimulants at Wikimedia Commons