title: Tertiapin-Q removes a mechanosensitive component of muscarinic control of the sinoatrial pacemaker in the rat.
abstract: 1. In an isolated right atrial preparation, an increase in right atrial pressure (RAP) produces an increase in atrial rate. This rate response is larger and occurs faster when there is background vagal or muscarinic stimulation. 2. We hypothesized that in the latter situation, an increase in RAP antagonizes the effect of muscarinic stimulation through stretch inactivation of the mechanosensitive muscarinic potassium current I(K,ACh). 3. In two groups of bath-mounted right atria isolated from male Wistar rats (control n = 12; 300 nmol/L tertiapin-Q treated (to block I(K,ACh)) n = 10), we examined the change in atrial rate when RAP was raised from 2 to 8 mmHg; oxotremorine-M (oxo-M; from 10 to 500 nmol/L) was added to incrementally activate muscarinic receptors. 4. In both control and tertiapin-Q-treated groups, oxo-M reduced atrial rate, but its effect was less ( approximately 40-50%) in the latter group (P < 0.001). In control preparations, responses to an increase in RAP became progressively larger and quicker as the concentration of oxo-M was increased, whereas in tertiapin-Q treated preparations oxo-M did not affect either the amplitude or the speed of the response (P < 0.0001 for both). 5. The results support the hypothesis that atrial stretch antagonizes muscarinic slowing by its effect on I(K,ACh). We suggest that through this mechanism, parasympathetic control of heart rate may be modulated continuously by RAP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and The Centre for Neuroscience, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: SuYoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Suzanne J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Chris P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Bolter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016280:Atrial Function, Right / Q000187:drug effects; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001683:Biological Clocks; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology*; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010095:Oxotremorine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D012849:Sinoatrial Node / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D018721:Muscarinic Agonists; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D011976:Receptors, Muscarinic; C029738:tertiapin; D010095:Oxotremorine; C042743:oxotremorine M