title: Role of the sarcoplasmic reticulum in the modulation of rat cardiac action potential by stretch.
abstract: We have investigated the role of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in the modulation on rat action potentials by stretch. The action potentials were recorded intracellularly from rat atrial myocytes in an isolated atrial preparation with small, physiological stretch produced by pressure (1-3 mmHg) inside the atria. The SR function was inhibited by pharmacological interventions, either with ryanodine (100 nmol L-1), thapsigargin (10 nmol L-1) or caffeine (1 mmol L-1). The duration of action potentials was increased by stretch from 1 to 3 mmHg. The repolarization indices APD30% (P < 0.05), APD60% (P < 0.01), and APD90% (P < 0.01) were all increased significantly (n=10). Ryanodine, thapsigargin, and caffeine inhibited this prolongation, or even reversed the effect with repolarization indices APD30% (P < 0.05) and APD60% (P < 0.05) which decreased in stretch with thapsigargin treatment. As a conclusion, we suggest that the SR and the intracellular calcium balance play an important role in the modulation of the shape of the rat atrial action potential during stretch.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Division of Biophysics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tavi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weckström
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D016275:Atrial Function; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012433:Ryanodine / Q000494:pharmacology; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D019284:Thapsigargin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D012433:Ryanodine; D002110:Caffeine; D019284:Thapsigargin; D002118:Calcium