title: Frequency-dependent excitability enhancement in isolated ventricular myocardial cells.
abstract: The understanding of the mechanisms underlying the frequency-dependent slow response excitability enhancement has been hindered by the problems inherent in multicellular preparations. These include ion accumulation/depletion in intercellular spaces and difficulties in the spatial control of transmembrane voltage. In the present communication we show that isolated ventricular cells exposed to a depolarizing (high potassium-barium containing) solution present electrophysiological properties similar to those of multicellular preparations: stable resting potential of -45.2 +/- 0.7 mV (mean +/- SEM, N = 57) in 75% of the cells and spontaneous activity in the remaining 25% (maximum diastolic potential of -41.9 +/- 1.2 mV, N = 19); high input resistance and slow response, under current clamp conditions. Under whole cell voltage clamp conditions with -45 mV holding potential, transient outward and delayed potassium currents as well as typical L type calcium channel are present. These cells also present the frequency-dependent excitability enhancement of the slow response, with the threshold stimulus at 1 Hz corresponding to about 50% of that obtained at 0.1 Hz. Thus, isolated ventricular cells constitute a suitable model for the study of frequency-dependent excitability enhancement of the slow response.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Masuda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000502:physiology*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium