SUMMARY
The foliowing cardiac effects may be attributed to thyroxin:
1-Thyroxin augments all anaerobic processes in the body includ::ng the heart, and decreases the glycogen content of the heart ( 1, 2, 5, 27). The resistance of the heart to anoxia is increased in hyperthyroidism ( 25).
2- Thyroxin influences the cardiac weight and prevents cardiac atrophy (3, 8, 10, 11, 19, 20, 21, 30, 33).
3-Thyroxin stimulates synthesis of a new cardiac protein and possibly a newcardiac myosin (I 0, 16, 25, 35, 36, 38).
4-Thyroxin influences the inherent contractility of the heart muscle, and this influence is indenndent of the norepinephrine stores and the alterations in the high energy phosphate stores ( 6). Thyroxin has an inotropic and a chronotropic action on heart muscle (14).
5-Manifestations of the thyroxin effects on the heart are the same as the manifestations of the stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors. These effects could be blocked by beta-adrenergic blocking agents ( 32). These beta-adrenergic receptors are probably adenyl cyclase (31).
6-Increased levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, and stimulation of beta receptors may be involved in the manifestations of thyroxin effects in hyperthyroidism. ( 14)