title: Arachidonic acid and lipoxygenase metabolites uncouple neonatal rat cardiac myocyte pairs.
abstract: The effects of arachidonic acid (AA) and its metabolites on the conductance (gj) of the gap junctions between neonatal rat myocardial cells was investigated. AA reduced gj in a dose- (2, 5, and 20 microM) and time-dependent fashion. Pretreatment of the cells with an inhibitor of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway, U-70344A, shifted the dose-response curve to the right; pretreatment with indomethacin, an inhibitor of the cyclooxygenase pathway, had no effect. The mean time to uncoupling was 3.7 +/- 0.3, 3.8 +/- 0.9, and 4.6 +/- 0.6 min (means +/- SE, P less than 0.05) for 5 microM AA, 5 microM AA + indomethacin, and 5 microM AA + U-70344A, respectively. Incorporation of AA into membrane phospholipids was not affected by the inhibitor. These studies suggest that complete uncoupling of the cells occurred at membrane concentrations of 3-4 mol%. The data indicate that AA and a 5-lipoxygenase metabolite uncouple neonatal rat heart cells. The data are discussed with respect to the possible underlying mechanism of uncoupling and the potential role of gap junctions in arrhythmia formation in ischemic heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Massey
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Minnich
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Burt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D016257:Fura-2; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D008084:Lipoxygenase / Q000378:metabolism*; D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000494:pharmacology; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016859:Lipoxygenase Inhibitors; D009285:Naphthoquinones; C076283:U 70344A; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D008084:Lipoxygenase; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2