Dobutamine is a catecholamine that acts as a β-adrenergic receptor agonist with potent positive inotropic effects in vivo. It has its strongest effects on β1 receptors, with lesser but significant β2 receptor activation and only weak α1 receptor actions. As a result, it strongly increases cardiac contractility with modest chronotropic, arrhythmogenic, and vascular side effects. Dobutamine is also a polyphenolic antioxidant and can inhibit all human carbonic anhydrase isoforms with Ki values near 1 μM.
