Beneficial Effect of Carteolol in Mice

Background. The effects of carteolol, a nonselective P-adrenergic receptor blocker with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, were compared with those of metoprolol in a murine model of viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy caused by encephalomyocarditis virus. Methods and Results. In the acute experiment, BALB/c and DBA/2 mice were inoculated with encephalomyocarditis virus. BALB/c mice were then given carteolol at 1 (n=10), 10 (n=10), 30 (n=11), or 100 mg/kg (n=9) daily, and DBA/2 mice were given carteolol at 1 (n=9) or 10 mg/kg (n =9) daily starting the day of inoculation. Controls were given distilled water (n=23 for BALB/c mice and n=8 for DBA/2 mice). BALB/c mice were killed on day 7, and DBA/2 mice were killed on day 14. In the subacute experiment, DBA/2 mice were inoculated with the virus and then given carteolol at 1 (n=12) or 10 mg/kg (n=16), or distilled water (n=27) daily, starting on day 14. Mice were killed on day 28. Virus replication, murine survival, heart weight to body weight ratio, and histopathological findings were similar in each group in the acute and subacute experiments. In the chronic experiment, DBA/2 mice were inoculated with the virus and were then given carteolol at 1 (n=13) or 10 mg/kg (n=9), metoprolol at 30 mg/kg (n=9), or distilled water (n=31) daily, starting