title: Differential effects of mibefradil, verapamil, and amlodipine on myocardial function and intracellular Ca(2+) handling in rats with chronic myocardial infarction.
abstract: Mibefradil is a selective T-type Ca(2+) channel blocker that exerts a potent vasodilating but weak inotropic action. The present study compared mibefradil with traditional L-type Ca(2+) channel blockers in regard to the effects of chronic oral administration on hemodynamics, contractility, and intracellular Ca(2+) handling in failing myocardium from postinfarction rats. Male Wistar rats with ligation-induced myocardial infarction were assigned to placebo or treatment with mibefradil (10 mg/kg/day), verapamil (8 mg/kg/day), or amlodipine (4 mg/kg/day) by oral gavage starting 7 days before the induction of myocardial infarction. Six weeks after myocardial infarction, hemodynamic measurements were performed in conscious animals. In addition, isometric force and free [Ca(2+)](i) were determined in isolated left ventricular papillary muscles. Placebo-treated rats exhibited a decreased mean atrial pressure, an increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and a reduced rate of pressure rise compared with sham-operated animals. Mibefradil treatment significantly improved all of these parameters, whereas both amlodipine and verapamil exerted only minor effects. beta-Adrenergic stimulation with isoproterenol (ISO) enhanced contractility and Ca(2+) availability in papillary muscles from sham-operated rats, whereas the ISO-induced inotropic effect in muscles from placebo-treated rats was severely blunted. Chronic mibefradil treatment significantly improved the inotropic response to ISO stimulation, although the Ca(2+)(i) availability appeared to be less than in muscles from placebo-treated animals. In contrast, both verapamil and amlodipine did not restore the inotropic and Ca(2+)(i) modulating effect of ISO in remodeled myocardium. Thus, T-type Ca(2+) current appears to be of pathophysiological relevance in postischemic reperfused myocardium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sandmann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000331:Aequorin; D017311:Amlodipine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D020748:Mibefradil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D017311:Amlodipine; D020748:Mibefradil; D000331:Aequorin; D014700:Verapamil; D007545:Isoproterenol; D002118:Calcium