title: Developmental changes in inotropic actions of neurotoxins observed in ventricular muscle of rat heart.
abstract: Developmental changes in functions of myocardial sodium channels were examined from inotropic effects of several neurotoxins in ventricular muscle preparations obtained from prenatal (20-22 day gestation) or adult (3-4 months old) rat hearts. Tetrodotoxin caused a negative inotropic effect in low concentrations and a loss of muscle responsiveness to electrical stimulation in high concentrations in preparations obtained from either prenatal or adult rat heart. The tetrodotoxin concentration that caused a 50% decrease in developed tension was higher in prenatal rats. Anemonia sulcata toxin, Androctonus australis toxin, veratridine, and Centruroides sculpturatus toxin all produced positive inotropic effects in adult rat heart. The effects were largest with A. sulcata and A. australis toxins, intermediate with veratridine, and smallest with C. sculpturatus toxin. Prenatal heart required higher concentrations of either veratridine, or A. sulcata or A. australis toxins to produce comparable positive inotropic effects. With C. sculpturatus toxin, no significant positive inotropic effect was observed in prenatal heart muscle preparations. These results indicate that cardiac sodium channels undergo significant functional changes during development and that negative and positive inotropic effects of neurotoxins resulting from inhibition and enhancement of fast Na+ channels reflect developmental changes in the cardiac sodium channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Kitasato University, Aomori, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Temma
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014701:Veratridine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D009498:Neurotoxins; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D015222:Sodium Channels; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D014701:Veratridine