Patent ID: 6887882

Claim:
A method for preventing or treating arrhythmias wherein the method comprises administering to a mammal a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of chelidonine or derivatives thereof represented by the following formula 1, with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers: wherein, R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, a lower alkoxy having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, benzyloxy, a lower alkylcarbonyloxy having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, benzoyloxy, a lower alkylsulfonyloxy having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, arylsulfonyloxy, diphenylphosphonyloxy, and â€”OCONH 2 ; R 2 is hydrogen or methyl; and R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are each, independently, hydrogen; or R 1 forms a double bond with R 2 or R 4 ; or R 2 forms a double bond with R 3 ; or R 5 forms a double bond with the adjacent N atom.