title: Intracellular calcium transients in myocardium from spontaneously hypertensive rats during the transition to heart failure.
abstract: To investigate the mechanism of impaired myocardial function after long-term pressure overload, we studied cardiac muscle mechanical contraction and intracellular calcium transients using the bioluminescent indicator aequorin. Left ventricular papillary muscle preparations were examined from three groups of rats: 1) aging spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with clinical and pathological evidence suggesting heart failure (SHR-F group), 2) age-matched SHRs with no evidence of heart failure (SHR-NF group), and 3) age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY group). Isometric force development was depressed in both SHR groups relative to the WKY group. Resting [Ca2+]i was lower in the SHR-F group, and the time to peak [Ca2+]i was prolonged in this group. The relative increases in peak [Ca2+]i with the inotropic interventions of increased [Ca2+]o and the addition of isoproterenol were similar among groups. Although inotropy increased in all groups with increased [Ca2+]o, after isoproterenol, inotropy increased only in the WKY group. Thus, in SHR myocardium, [Ca2+]i increased after isoproterenol, but inotropy failed to increase. Myosin isozymes were shifted toward the V3 isoform in both SHR groups; the V3 isoform was virtually 100% in papillary muscles from the SHR-F group. These changes may reflect events directly contributing to the development of heart failure or represent adaptive changes to chronic pressure overload and heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Boston, Mass. 02130.
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Bing
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Conrad
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Perreault
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000331:Aequorin; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000378:metabolism*; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: D000331:Aequorin; D007545:Isoproterenol; D002118:Calcium