title: Arrhythmogenic effect of androgens on the rat heart.
abstract: In most species androgens shorten the cardiac action potential and reduce the risk of afterdepolarizations. Despite the central role of the rat model in physiological studies, the effects of androgens on the rat heart are still inconclusive. We therefore performed electrophysiological studies on the perfused rat right ventricular free wall. We found a correlation between androgenic activity and a propensity to generate ventricular ectopic action potentials. We also found that the testosterone treatment increased action potential duration at 90 % of repolarization (APD90), while androgenic inhibition increased the time to peak and decreased APD90. We observed that the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv4.3 and the bi-directional membrane ion transporter NCX in the rat myocardium were regulated by androgenic hormones. One possible explanation for these findings is that due to the expression of specific ion channels in the rat myocardium, the action potential response to its hormonal background is different from those described in other experimental models. Our results indicate that androgenic control of NCX expression plays a key role in determining arrhythmogenicity in the rat heart.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Argenziano
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tiscornia
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moretta
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casal
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Constanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Potilinski
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.|The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amorena
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios en Salud y Medio Ambiente (CESyMA), Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología (ECyT), Universidad Nacional de General San Martín (UNSAM), Av. Gral. Paz 5445, INTI, Edificio 23, 1650, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina. eaggras@gmail.com.|The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. eaggras@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eduardo Garcia
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Gras
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D019831:Sodium-Calcium Exchanger; D013739:Testosterone
keywords: Androgens; Arrhythmia; Kv4.3; Na/Ca exchanger; Rat