STUDIES ON THE NATIVE GLUCOSIDES OF DIGITALIS LANATA WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THEIR EFFECTS UPON CARDIAC EFFICIENCY AND THEIR TOXICITY

¹ From the Department of Physiology, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1. The actions of the separate pure native glucosides of D. lanata have been studied in the heart lung preparation and in the whole animal.

2. The minimum doses producing increased cardiac efficiency and those causing irregularities in rhythm have been determined.

3. The ratio of the dose causing increased cardiac efficiency (c.e.d.) to the dose producing irregularities (c.i.d.) differs greatly for the different glucosides.

4. The lethal cat dose (c.d.) does not vary in proportion to the c.e.d.

5. The ratios c.i.d./c.e.d. and c.d./c.e.d. are both very much greater for Digilanid C than for the other two glucosides in D. lanata, implying a greater margin of safety in accomplishing improved cardiac efficiency.

6. The efficiency of the heart falls with toxic doses of digitalis when irregularities of rhythm occur.

7. The effects of digitalis under discussion are not dependent upon the blood sugar level.

8. The importance of study and assay of digitalis glucosides in terms of their important therapeutic actions rather than in terms of toxic actions which may or may not be related to any therapeutic effects is emphasized.

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