title: Antiarrhythmic effects of magnesium on rat papillary muscle and guinea pig ventricular myocytes.
abstract: 1. Despite widespread use of magnesium ion (Mg2+) for antiarrhythmic purposes, little direct information is available regarding its antiarrhythmic mechanisms. To elucidate the possible cellular mechanism, the effects of Mg2+ on early afterdepolarization (EAD), delayed afterdepolarization (DAD), triggered activity (TA), transient inward current (TI) and aftercontraction (AC) were examined in various cardiac preparations. The effects of Mg2+ on myoplasmic Ca2+ concentration were also studied. 2. The effects of Mg2+ on AC, induced by overdrive stimulation, were studied in isolated rat ventricular papillary muscle superfused with low K+ solution. In enzymatically isolated guinea pig myocytes, EAD, DAD and/or TA were induced after overdrive stimulation under conditions of superfusion with low K+ solution, using the whole-cell current-clamp method, and TI was also induced by the whole-cell voltage-clamp method. 3. Immediately after changing the solutions, containing varying concentrations of Mg2+, the effects of Mg2+ were examined. In addition, effects of Mg2+ on Ca transient were studied, using fura-2. 4. We found that: (1) in the rat papillary muscle, 10 mM Mg2+ effectively inhibited AC, which was produced after stimulation at both 3.3 Hz and 5 Hz, although 5 mM Mg2+ was without effect in the case of AC induced after 5-Hz stimulation; (2) in the myocytes, 5 mM Mg2+ did not inhibit DADs, EADs and TA, but 10 mM Mg2+ inhibited them completely; (3) the amplitude and frequency of TI decreased significantly in the presence of 10 mM Mg2+; and finally (4) 10 mM Mg2+ inhibited the Ca transient underlying DAD and/or TA. 5. The findings suggest, but do not prove unequivocally, that Mg's actions are probably due to a combination of a shift of the threshold of various ion channels to less negative potentials, a decrease in Ca2+ influx via Ca channels, a block of several K channels, and/or a block of Na-Ca exchanger. In conclusion, the present study indicates that extracellular Mg2+, via whatever mechanism, exerts antiarrhythmic activities.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Physiology, Graduate School of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Nakamura Gakuen University, Fukuoka, Japan. aomine@cc.nakamura-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aomine
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tatsukawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamato
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016276:Ventricular Function
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D007473:Ion Channels; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium