The antiarrhythmic properties of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists.

The antiarrhythmic properties of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists have long been recognized and, according to the Vaughan Williams classification of antiarrhythmic drugs, these drugs are regarded as a separate entity, namely class II. In this review, Ad IJzerman and Willem Soudijn focus on the nature and the molecular basis of the antiarrhythmic action of beta-adrenoceptor antagonists. Structure-activity relationship studies demonstrate that the antiarrhythmic profile of different beta-adrenoceptor antagonists is not fixed and some compounds have class I or class III properties which may be clinically relevant.