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Defying the economists: a decrease in heart rate improves not only cardiac but also endothelial function
Author(s) -
Triggle C R
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1038/bjp.2008.168
Subject(s) - ivabradine , medicine , sinoatrial node , vasodilation , cardiology , cardiac function curve , heart rate , endothelium , endothelial dysfunction , pharmacology , heart failure , blood pressure
Ivabradine has proven therapeutic efficacy for cardiac ischaemia and, until proved otherwise, is a very specific inhibitor of the cardiac sinoatrial node I f current. In the current issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology , Drouin et al . demonstrated that chronic treatment of the human apoB‐100 transgene dyslipidaemic mouse with ivabradine significantly improved endothelium‐dependent vasodilatation to ACh in renal and cerebral arteries and that the beneficial effects of ivabradine result secondarily to the lowering of heart rate. These data suggest that drugs that target the I f current have potential benefits not only as anti‐ischaemics but also as agents for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 154 , 727–728; doi: 10.1038/bjp.2008.116 ; published online 28 April 2008