Induction of contracture and extracellular Ca2+ influx in cardiac muscle by sanguinarine: a study on cardiotoxicity of sanguinarine.

In this study, the toxic effect of sanguinarine (SANG) on heart was studied with isolated cardiac muscle strip isolated from Wistar rat. SANG induced positive inotropic action followed by contracture on the left ventricle and both atria strips. In addition, SANG dose-dependently inhibited spontaneous beat of the right atrium.