Surface Activity and Mechanism of Action of Antiarrhythmic Drugs

Surface active substances are widely used in medicine, among them the drugs capable of adsorption in efficient concentrations at various interface points. The relationship between the pharmacological action of a ntiarrhythmic drugs and their surface activity and influence on the lipid-containing interfaces (bimolecular layers of phosphatidylcholine) have been studied. It has been revealed that diphisopronyle (diethylaminopropyl ether a-isopropyloxydiphenylacetic acid, hydrochloride), fubromegane (1-methyl-3-diethylaminopropyl ether 5-bromofurane-2-carboxylic acid, iodomethylate), methamicile (~-diethylaminopropyl ether benzyl acid, hydrochloride), propranolole (l-isopropylamino-3 (oxynaphtyl-1)--propanol-2, hydrochloride), chinidine (chinidine sulphate), novocainamide (~-diethylaminoethyl- amid p-aminobenzoic acid, hydrochloride), novocaine (~ -diethylaminoethyl ether p-aminobenzoic acid, hydrochloride), xylocaine (N,N-diethylamino-2,6-dimethylacethanilide, hydrochloride), trimecaine (N,N-diethylamino-2,4,6-trimethylacethanilide, hydrochloride) possess surface activity. Parallelism between the physiological action and interfacial activity of antiarrhythmic drugs has been established. Antiarrhythmics increase the electric conductance of lecithine bilayers. There exists a symbate dependence between the effect of drugs on the permeability of a bimolecular lecithin membrane and . their pharmacological activity. These results are essential a) for understanding the mode of action of antiarrhythmic agents and b) discovering new drugs which possess the required properties