The effect of reserpine pretreatment on myocardial damage associated with stimulated intracranial hemorrhage in mice

Abstract Simulated intracranial hemorrhage was produced in four groups of TS stock female mice by intracranial injection of whole blood. In groups I and II subarachnoid and intracerebrral hemorrhages were simulated, respectively. Groups III and IV were pretreated daily for two weeks with reserpine and then were subjected intracranial hemorrhage as in groups I and II. Control animals were run for each group. After seven days following injection of blood the animals were sacrified and their hearts and brains studied histologically. Experimentally-induced subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhage resulted in focal myocardial necrosis in 48–60 percent of the animals. No myocardial lesions were observed within the hearts of 92 percent of animals pretreated with reserpine. Reserpine offered protection against heart necrosis apparently resulting from intracranial hemorrhage. These findings support the hypothesis that intracranial hemorrhage may trigger a sympathetic response which could produce segmental necrosis within the myocardium.