Physiologic and pharmacologic factors that affect myocardial relaxation.
Evaluation of the myocardial relaxation has become important in the last years. An impaired relaxation may precede contractile dysfunctions and even cause heart failure. To treat this impaired lusitropism it is necessary to properly assess the lusitropic state of the heart and understand how drugs affect the cellular mechanisms underlying myocardial relaxation (sarcoplasmic reticulum function, Ca2+ fluxes through the sarcolemma and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity). Current information regarding these issues is provided in this review. The relative usefulness of the mechanical parameters used to evaluate the lusitropic state of the heart in experimental models applied in pharmacology will also be discussed.
Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
L
L
Vittone
C
C
Mundiña-Weilenmann
A
A
Mattiazzi
H
H
Cingolani
D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*