The effect of reserpine treatment on the chronotropic and inotropic sensitivities of the perfused guinea-pig heart to norepinephrine and calcium

Influence of reduced presynaptic myocardial norepinephrine stores on left ventricular contractility

Many investigators have reported that myocardial norepinephrine content is decreased in congestive heart failure. However there have been no studies of how decrease in myocardial norepinephrine might influence myocardial contraction. To clarify whether decreased myocardial norepinephrine per se affects myocardial contraction, we observed the change in left ventricular contractility during 30 min of left stellate ganglion stimulation in control and acutely reserpinized dogs. We obtained left ventricular max dp/dt and left ventricular end-systolic pressure-segment length relationships as indicators of left ventricular contractility. Both parameters decreased after left stellate ganglion stimulation in reserpinized dogs (left ventricular max dp/dt: 2064 +/- 200 to 1608 +/- 168 mmHg/s, left ventricular end-systolic pressure-segment length slope 117 +/- 22 to 79 +/- 14 mmHg/mm, n = 8, P less than 0.05), while they did not change in controls. In reserpinized dogs, left ventricular norepinephrine content decreased to one-third that of controls before the stimulation, and further decreased after stimulation. These data indicate that lowered myocardial norepinephrine itself may be responsible for the negative effect on left ventricular contractility in congestive heart failure.

beta-Adrenoceptor ligand binding and supersensitivity to isoprenaline of ventricular muscle after chronic reserpine pretreatment

1. Isolated papillary muscles from guinea-pig hearts were paced at a constant frequency and isometric contractions reported. 2. Guinea-pigs were either untreated or pretreated with reserpine. Three pretreatment schedules were used; a) 0.5 mg kg-1 i.p. at 24 h, b) 5.0 mg kg-1 at 72 h and 3.0 mg kg-1 at 48 and 24 h, or c) 0.1 mg kg-1 daily for 7 days. 3. Cumulative concentration-response curves for the isoprenaline-induced increases in tension were obtained. The geometric mean EC50 values after the 3 and 7 day reserpine pretreatment schedules were significantly (P less than 0.05) less than for untreated guinea-pigs indicating a supersensitivity. 4. EC50 values for the positive inotropic responses to histamine and calcium in papillary muscles from reserpine-pretreated guinea-pigs did not differ significantly (P less than 0.05) from those from untreated animals. This suggests that the supersensitivity to isoprenaline is beta-adrenoceptor specific. 5. Membrane fractions were prepared from the ventricles of the untreated and reserpine-pretreated guinea-pigs from which papillary muscles had been removed. Binding of [3H]-dihydroalprenolol ([3H]-DHA) to beta-adrenoceptors of these membranes was determined. Equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) and total numbers of binding sites (Bmax) were determined by Scatchard analysis of the saturation curves for [3H]-DHA binding. 6. There was no increase in affinity (fall in KD value) or change in the total number of binding sites associated with reserpine-induced supersensitivity. The equilibrium inhibition constant (Ki) for the displacement of [3H]-DHA binding by isoprenaline was also identical in membranes from untreated and reserpine-pretreated animals. Thus reserpine-induced supersensitivity to isoprenaline does not appear to involve a change in affinity for the beta-adrenoceptor or in receptor numbers as determined by [3H]-DHA binding.

The use of an irreversible beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist to examine reserpine- and hypothermia-induced supersensitivity of guinea-pig atria

1 Positive inotropic and chronotropic responses to guinea-pig isolated left and right atria respectively to the sympathomimetic amine orciprenaline were recorded. 2 Pretreatment of animals with reserpine for 3 days produced supersensitivity of both the inotropic and chronotropic responses. Lowering the bath temperature from 38 degrees to 30 degrees C produced supersensitivity of untreated atria to the inotropic responses only. 3 Irreversible beta-adrenoreceptor antagonism of orciprenaline by Ro 03-7894 was demonstrated by a persistent depression of the maximum inotropic and chronotropic responses after a prolonged washout from the bath (3 h). 4 The depression of the maximum rate and tension responses by Ro 03-7894 was less in atria from reserpine-pretreated animals. 5 The maxima were also depressed less at the lower bath temperature of 30 degrees C. However, when atria were cooled during the incubation with Ro 30-7894, the maxima were still depressed to the 38 degrees C level. 6 That these results suggest either a receptor proliferation or change in efficacy as possible mechanisms for reserpine- and hypothermia-induced supersensitivity is discussed.

Reserpine-induced supersensitivity to the inotropic and phosphorylase activating effects of glucagon in the perfused rat heart

Glucagon (0.125--2.0 microgram) produced a dose-dependent increase in cyclic AMP, % phosphorylase a and force of contraction in the isolated perfused rat heart. Pretreatment of animals with reserpine (2.5 mg/kg, 24 h) resulted in an enhancement of the inotropic and phosphorylase activating effects of glucagon but the effect on cyclic AMP was not altered. It is suggested that reserpine-induced supersensitivity in the rat heart occurs at a point beyond the cyclic AMP step.

The role of calcium in supersensitivity to the inotropic effects of norepinephrine

Experiments using electrically stimulated rabbit left atria have demonstrated that supersensitivity to the inotropic effects of norepinephrine can be induced by either chronic reserpine pretreatment or hypothermia (lowering the temperature of the bathing medium). These two experimental conditions for inducing supersensitivity were not additive implying that they shared a common mechanism of action. Norepinephrine had no significant effect on the amplitude of a potentiated contraction of the rabbit atrium when the temperature was reduced from 37 to 30 degrees C or following pretreatment with reserpine (30 or 37 degrees C). Under these same conditions the ED50 of norepinephrine on the normal contraction was reduced. It is concluded that both reserpine pretreatment and hypothermia induce supersensitivity to the inotropic effects of norepinephrine by enhancing the cellular store of activator calcium while not affecting the ability of norepinephrine to release activator calcium.

The influence of temperature upon reserpine-induced supersensitivity of guinea-pig isolated atria to isoprenaline and salbutamol

1. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether supersensitivity of isolated atria to sympathomimetic amines following pretreatment with reserpine was evident at low temperatures, which alone induced supersensitivity. 2. Cumulative dose-response curves for the positive inotropic and chronotropic responses of isolated guinea-pig atria to isoprenaline and the partial agonist salbutamol were plotted as a percentage of the maximum response to isoprenaline. 3. In atria from reserpine-pretreated guinea-pigs set up at 38 degrees C, supersensitivity of both rate and tension responses was observed as a shift of the curves to the left and an increase of the maximum responses to salbutamol. Tension responses were potentiated more than rate responses. At 30 degrees C the supersensitivity became less apparent and at 25 degrees C was virtually absent. 4. The dose-response curves in untreated atria at low temperatures revealed that hypothermia itself produced supersensitivity of rate and tension responses. The dose-response curves were displaced to the left and the salbutamol maxima were raised so that at 25 degrees C it became almost a full agonist. The hypothermia-induced supersensitivity was therefore sufficient to mask any supersensitivity resulting from pretreatment with reserpine. 5. The hypothermia-induced supersensitivity of the rate response was dependent upon the method of plotting. When plotted in absolute units of beats per min no supersensitivity of the rate response was evident. Supersensitivity of the tension response at the lower temperatures and of both rate and tension responses following pretreatment with reserpine were independent of the plotting method.

Selective reserpine-induced supersensitivity of the positive inotropic and chronotropic responses to isoprenaline and salbutamol in guinea-pig isolated atria

1 Dose-response curves for the positive inotropic and chronotropic responses to isoprenaline were obtained in atria from untreated guinea-pigs and those receiving various reserpine pretreatments. 2 Tension responses were unaffected, whereas rate responses were depressed by the lowest dose of reserpine (0.05 mg/kg i.p. at 24 hours). 3 With larger 24 h doses and a 3 day pretreatment, the rate and tension dose-response curves were progressively displaced to the left, indicating supersensitivity which was greater for tension at each pretreatment. 4 No supersensitivity to histamine or Ca2+ could be detected, leading to the conclusion that it was selective for the beta-adrenoceptor agonists possibly at the receptor level. 5 As an indication of the adrenergic neurone depleting effectiveness of each reserpine dosage, preparations were exposed to test doses of beta-phenylethylamine. 6 Salbutamol was a partial agonist in untreated atria, the maximum rate (63.3%) and tension (10.0%) responses being less than those for isoprenaline. In atria from reserpine pretreated animals the supersensitivity was revealed as an increase of this maximum compared with isoprenaline. 7 The significance of this observation in relation to the possible mechanism of the supersensitivity is discussed.

The effect of pretreatment with reserpine on the diastolic potential of guinea-pig atrial cells

It has previously been suggested that the reserpine-induced nonspecific increase in sensitivity of the guinea-pig heart to the chronotropic effect od drugs occurs as a result of an alteration in the electrophysiological properties of the cell membrane. The results obtained in the present study provide support for this suggestion. The diastolic potential of atrial cells of perfused hearts obtained from guinea pigs treated with rerpine (0.1 mg/kg/day) for 7 days was significantly less than control. This treatment schedule of reserpine results in a significant increase in the sensitivity of perfoused hearts to the chronotropic effects of drugs...