Adrenergic beta1-Agonists

The beta-1 adrenoceptor is a G protein-coupled catecholamine receptor that couples to Gs, activating adenylate cyclase and the cAMP-dependent pathway; it binds adrenaline and noradrenaline with approximately equal affinity and, as part of the sympathetic nervous system, drives the stimulation of cardiomyocyte contraction. Drugs in this class activate that receptor, so the expected effect is an increase in the force of the heartbeat. A drug belongs here because it stimulates the beta-1 subtype rather than blocking it; as MED-RT populates the class its members are the catecholamines and their analogues - dobutamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, isoproterenol, dipivefrin.