title: Isolation of calcium tolerant myocytes from adult rat hearts: review of the literature and description of a method.
abstract: Myocytes have been isolated from adult rat hearts since 1969. The early preparations exhibited the Ca2+ paradox. Over the ensuing years, numerous groups have reported the isolation of Ca2+ tolerant cardiac myocytes. In the present review, detailed comparisons have been made of the yields, viability, and relative Ca2+ tolerance of these different myocyte preparations. The factors to which these investigators attributed the increased Ca2+ tolerance are considered, and the current information regarding the mechanism of the Ca2+ paradox is reviewed. A method is given which incorporates several of the modifications described. By this method 40-60% of the ventricular weight was disaggregated into single myocytes within 45 min after the sacrifice of the rats. Viability without further purification was 82 +/- 0.7% (n = 35) and Nai+/Ki+ ratios were normal. Upon incubation with 2 mM Ca2+ for 1 hr at 37 degrees C, viability decreased by 6% and ATP and creatine phosphate remained at physiological levels. The preparation is very stable since upon incubation in culture medium containing fetal bovine serum and 1.25 mM free Ca2+ at 25 degrees C for 20 hr, viability decreased only 13% (rod-shaped and trypan blue criteria). The factors which contribute to the quality and Ca2+ tolerance of this preparation are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002021:Buffers; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D003012:Microbial Collagenase; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008861:Microsomes / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002021:Buffers; D007473:Ion Channels; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; D003012:Microbial Collagenase; D002118:Calcium