title: Beta-blockade at low doses restoring the physiological balance in myocytic antagonism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The ventricular mass is organized in the form of meshwork, with populations of myocytes aggregated in a supporting matrix of fibrous tissue, with some myocytes aligned obliquely across the wall so as to work in an antagonistic fashion compared to the majority of myocytes, which are aggregated together in tangential alignment. Prompted by results from animal experiments, which showed a disparate response of the two populations of aggregated myocytes to negative inotropic medication, we sought to establish whether those myocytes that aggregated so as to extend obliquely across the thickness of the ventricular walls are more sensitive to beta-blockade than the prevailing population in which the myocytes are aggregated together with tangential alignment. If the two populations respond in similar differing fashion in the clinical situation, we hypothesize that this might help to explain why drugs blocking the beta-receptors improve function of the ventricular pump in the setting of congestive cardiac failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We implanted needle probes in 13 patients studied during open heart surgery, measuring the forces generated in the ventricular wall and seeking to couple the probes either to myocytes aggregated together with tangential alignment or to those aggregated in oblique fashion across the ventricular walls. In a first series of patients, we injected probatory doses intravenously, amounting to a total bolus of 40-100mg Esmolol, while in a second series, we gave fixed yet rising doses of 5, 10, and 20mg Esmolol in three separate boluses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forces recorded in the aggregated myocytes with tangential alignment decreased insignificantly upon administration of low doses (57.1+/-12.4 mN-->56.6+/-7.6 mN), while forces recorded in the myocytes aggregated obliquely across the ventricular wall showed a significant decrease in the mean (59.3+/-11.6 mN-->47.4+/-6.4 mN).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The markedly disparate action of drugs blocking beta-receptors at low dosage seems to be related to the heterogeneous extent, and time course, of systolic loading of the myocytes. This, in turn, depends on whether the myocytes themselves are aggregated together with tangential or oblique alignments relative to the thickness of the ventricular walls.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Thorax, Herz und Gefässchirurgie, Universität Münster, Germany. redmann@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Paul P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Lunkenheimer
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Redmann
authors.forename: Colin W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cryer
authors.forename: Randas V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Jacobus J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Stanton
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niederer
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000601:surgery; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007430:Intraoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013718:Tensile Strength; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011412:Propanolamines; C036604:esmolol