A Quantitative Comparison of the Cardiac Actions of Peruvoside with Those of G-Strophanthin and Proscillaridin

Abstract

The cardiac actions of peruvoside, a monoglycoside obtained from the seeds of Thevetia neriifolia, were analyzed, based on the principle of the two-compartment model system, in the dog heart-lung preparations in a precise quantitative manner and were compared with those of g-strophanthin and proscillaridin. The therapeutic dose of peruvoside was found to be about 13% of the irregularity dose and about 8% of the lethal dose, as compared with 25% and 13% for g-strophanthin, and 60% and 40% for proscillaridin, respectively, indicating that peruvoside had the widest margin of safety among the three compounds tested. Validity of using the two-compartment model system as the basis for the quantitative comparison of cardiac actions of the cardiotonic steroids was discussed.