Amiodarone Inhibits Production of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α by Human Mononuclear Cells A Possible Mechanism for its Effect in Heart Failure

Background Recent studies suggest that cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukins (ILs) are capable of modulating cardiovascular function and that drugs used in the treatment of heart failure have various modulatory effects on the production of cytokines. This study was performed to examine the effects of amiodarone (a drug shown to be beneficial in some patients suffering from heart failure) versus other antiarrhythmic agents on the production of cytokines in vitro. Methods and Results Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from healthy volunteers. PBMC were cultured with 0.1, 1, and 10 μmol/L of amiodarone, quinidine, disopyramide, and lidocaine in the presence of lipopolysaccharide. After 24 hours’ incubation, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were measured in the culture supernatants by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. TNF-α production was inhibited by amiodarone but stimulated by quinidine in a concentration-dependent manner. Disopyramide and lidocaine tended to...