title: Loss of cardiac contractility and severe morphologic changes by acutely lowering the pH of the perfusion medium: protection by fatty acids.
abstract: When the pH of the perfusion medium of rat Langendorff heart, paced at a rate of 300 beats/min, is abruptly lowered from pH 7.5 to 7.0, the hearts stop beating within 6 min in more than half of the cases. Reperfusion with pH 7.5 medium after 10 min pH 7.0 perfusion does not cause contractility to resume within 5 min. The causative factor is intracellular acidosis, resulting in severe morphological alterations of plasma membrane and mitochondria. It is probably initiated by the loss of membrane-bound calcium. Oleate, complexed with albumin included in the perfusion media, protects the hearts. This may be explained by maintenance of capillary flow and limitation of cellular acidosis.
authors.affiliation: Thorax Centre, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hülsmann
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: de Wit
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schneydenberg
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Verkleij
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids