Cardiotonic aconitine

Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux China Aconitine, hypaconitine, mesaconitine, talaris amine.33 A cardiotonic. 

Respiratory center paralysis, stimulation after cardiac conduction failure, paralysis of the circulatory system, and perception efiects and paralysis of motor nerves are the demonstrated biological activities of the aconitine-type alkaloids in animal models. As for cardiotonic substances, other than higenamine, corynerine was also isolated and these alkaloids were described in Chapter 1 (phenylalanine- and tyrosine-derived alkaloids). 

Preparations from Aconitum plants have been used in traditional Chinese medicine as cardiotonics, febrifuges, sedatives, and antirheumatics [22]. They have also been used in traditional medicine of some ex-USSR countries for the treatment of cancer, rheumatism, etc. [18, 23]. Aconitum plants were introduced in the medicine of European countries in the nineteenth century. Leaves and roots of Aconitum and aconitine powder were included in the British Pharmaceutical Codex (01911) [24], French Pharmacopoeia (9th edition) [25], and USSR Pharmacopoeia (8th edition) [26] and were applied to relieve neuralgic pain, especially in the face, to allay the pain of sciatica and acute rheumatism. Because of extreme toxicity, aconitine was replaced later by less-toxic anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents in European countries presently, the use of Aconitum plants is limited to the homeopathic medicine [27, 28]. On the contrary, in many Asiatic countries, aconitine-containing plants still remain one of the most popular remedies, and more and more new, naturally occurring or semisynthetic molecules from Aconitum species are introduced in medical use. Eor example, lappaconitine found in several Aconitum species, bulleyaconitine isolated from A. bulleyanum, and crassicauline A isolated from A. crassicaule were introduced in the official Chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and for local anesthesia [29, 30]. 

Extracts of A. carmichaelUhave shown cardiotonic activity, including inotropic and chronotropic activities, leading to hypotension and/or hypertension. Analgesic and anesthetic activities have been reported. Hyoscine potentiates the action of aconitine. Aconitine and related compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in experimental animals. lateral rootlets of A. carmichaelii (considered a separate drug in Chinese tradition), has been shown to raise the heart rate in sinus arrhjdhmia patients. ... 

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