Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Histamine blocker famotidine helps heart failure in dogs beyond
By Takahama, Hiroyuki et al.·Published in Basic research in cardiology·2010·Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A histamine H₂ receptor blocker ameliorates development of heart failure in dogs independently of β-adrenergic receptor blockade.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with heart failure caused by rapid heart pacing were treated with either a histamine H2 receptor blocker called famotidine, a common heart medication called carvedilol, or both. The dogs receiving famotidine showed improved heart function and reduced pressure in the lungs compared to those that did not receive the drug. The combination of famotidine and carvedilol provided even better results. This suggests that famotidine can help protect the heart in dogs with heart failure, making it a potentially useful treatment option alongside traditional medications.
People also search for: dog heart failure treatment · famotidine for dogs · carvedilol heart medication for dogs
Abstract
Histamine has a positive inotropic effect on ventricular myocardium and stimulation of histamine H₂ receptors increases the intracellular cAMP level via Gs protein, as dose stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors, and worsens heart failure. To test whether a histamine H₂ receptor blocker had a beneficial effect in addition to β-adrenergic receptor blockade, we investigated the cardioprotective effect of famotidine, a histamine H₂ receptor blocker, in dogs receiving a β-blocker. We induced heart failure in dogs by rapid ventricular pacing (230 beats/min). Animals received no drugs (control group), famotidine (1 mg/kg daily), carvedilol (0.1 mg/kg daily), or carvedilol plus famotidine. Both cardiac catheterization and echocardiography were performed before and 4 weeks after the initiation of pacing. Immunohistochemical studies showed the appearance of mast cells and histamine in the myocardium after 4 weeks of pacing. In the control group, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was decreased after 4 weeks compared with before pacing (71 ± 2 vs. 27 ± 2%, p < 0.05) and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) was increased (8 ± 1 vs. 19 ± 3 mmHg). Famotidine ameliorated the decrease of LVEF and increase of PCWP, while the combination of carvedilol plus famotidine further improved both parameters compared with the carvedilol groups. These beneficial effects of famotidine were associated with a decrease of the myocardial cAMP level. Histamine H₂ receptor blockade preserves cardiac systolic function in dogs with pacing-induced heart failure, even in the presence of β-adrenergic receptor blockade. This finding strengthens the rationale for using histamine H₂ blockers in the treatment of heart failure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20852875/