The initial inward current in spherical clusters of chick embryonic heart cells

Modeling Depolarization Delay, Sodium Currents, and Electrical Potentials in Cardiac Transverse Tubules

T-tubules are invaginations of the lateral membrane of striated muscle cells that provide a large surface for ion channels and signaling proteins, thereby supporting excitation–contraction coupling. T-tubules are often remodeled in heart failure. To better understand the electrical behavior of T-tubules of cardiac cells in health and disease, this study addresses two largely unanswered questions regarding their electrical properties: (1) the delay of T-tubular membrane depolarization and (2) the effects of T-tubular sodium current on T-tubular potentials. Here, we present an elementary computational model to determine the delay in depolarization of deep T-tubular membrane segments as the narrow T-tubular lumen provides resistance against the extracellular current. We compare healthy tubules to tubules with constrictions and diseased tubules from mouse and human, and conclude that constrictions greatly delay T-tubular depolarization, while diseased T-tubules depolarize faster than healthy ones due to tubule widening. Increasing the tubule length non-linearly delays the depolarization. We moreover model the effect of T-tubular sodium current on intraluminal T-tubular potentials. We observe that extracellular potentials become negative during the sodium current transient (up to −40 mV in constricted T-tubules), which feedbacks on sodium channel function (self-attenuation) in a manner resembling ephaptic effects that have been described for intercalated discs where opposing membranes are very close together. The intraluminal potential and sodium current self-attenuation however greatly depend on sodium current conductance. These results show that (1) the changes in passive electrical properties of remodeled T-tubules cannot explain the excitation–contraction coupling defects in diseased cells; and (2) the sodium current may modulate intraluminal potentials. Such extracellular potentials might also affect excitation–contraction coupling and macroscopic conduction.

Cell Culture Platforms with Controllable Stiffness for Chick Embryonic Cardiomyocytes

For several years, cell culture techniques have been physiologically relevant to understand living organisms both structurally and functionally, aiming at preserving as carefully as possible the in vivo integrity and function of the cells. However, when studying cardiac cells, glass or plastic Petri dishes and culture-coated plates lack important cues that do not allow to maintain the desired phenotype, especially for primary cell culture. In this work, we show that microscaffolds made with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) enable modulating the stiffness of the surface of the culture substrate and this originates different patterns of adhesion, self-organization, and synchronized or propagated activity in the culture of chick embryonic cardiomyocytes. Thanks to the calcium imaging technique, we found that the substrate stiffness affected cardiomyocyte adhesion, as well as the calcium signal propagation in the formed tissue. The patterns of activity shown by the calcium fluorescence variations are reliable clues of the functional organization achieved by the cell layers. We found that PDMS substrates with a stiffness of 25 kPa did not allow the formation of cell layers and therefore the optimal propagation of the intracellular calcium signals, while softer PDMS substrates with Young’s modulus within the physiological in vivo reported range did permit synchronized and coordinated contractility and intracellular calcium activity. This type of methodology allows us to study phenomena such as arrhythmias. For example, the occurrence of synchronized activity or rotors that can initiate or maintain cardiac arrhythmias can be reproduced on different substrates for study, so that replacement tissues or patches can be better designed.

Field stimulation of isolated chick heart cells: comparison of experimental and theoretical activation thresholds

INTRODUCTION

This study examines the accuracy of using membrane models to predict activation thresholds for chick heart cells during field stimulation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Activation thresholds were measured experimentally in ten embryonic chick heart cells at 37 degrees C for stimulus durations 0.2 to 40 msec. Activation was assessed by observing the mechanical twitch of the cell. The heart cells ranged in diameter from 15.0 to 26.7 microm. Since the electric field required for activation depends on diameter, the thresholds were expressed as the maximum field-induced transmembrane potential, Vth = 1.5 a Eth, where a is the cell radius and Eth is the strength of the electric field at threshold. A cell model was created using a singular perturbation method and membrane models describing the ionic currents of a heart cell. The study used membrane models of Ebihara and Johnson (1980), Luo and Rudy (1991), Shrier and Clay (1994), and their combinations. The results show that for stimuli longer than 1 msec, theoretical activation thresholds were within one standard deviation of experimental thresholds. For shorter stimuli, the models failed to predict thresholds because of a premature deactivation of the sodium current. The modification of the m gates dynamics, so that they closed with a time constant of 1.4 msec, allowed to predict thresholds for all durations. The root mean square error between experimental and theoretical thresholds was 6.14%.

CONCLUSIONS

The existing membrane models can predict thresholds for field stimulation only for stimuli longer than 1 msec. For shorter stimuli, the models need a more accurate representation of the sodium tail current.

Developmental change in fast Na channel properties in embryonic chick ventricular heart cells

To assess development changes in kinetic properties of the cardiac sodium current, whole-cell voltage-clamp experiments were conducted using 3-, 10-, and 17-day-old embryonic chick ventricular heart cells. Experimental data were quantified according to the Hodgkin-Huxley model. While the Na current density, as examined by the maximal conductance, drastically increased (six- to seven-fold) with development, other current - voltage parameters remained unchanged. Whereas the activation time constant and the steady-state activation characteristics were comparable among the three age groups, the voltage dependence of the inactivation time constant and the steady-state inactivation underwent a shift in the voltage dependence toward negative potentials during embryonic development. Consequently, the steady-state (window current) conductance, which was sufficient to induce automatic activity in the young embryos, was progressively reduced with age.

Mitochondrial localization and characterization of 99Tc-SESTAMIBI in heart cells by electron probe X-ray microanalysis and 99Tc-NMR spectroscopy

As the development of targeted intracellular magnetic resonance contrast agents proceeds, techniques for the quantitative analysis of the subcellular compartmentation and characterization of metallopharmaceuticals must also advance. To this end, the subcellular distribution and chemical state of hexakis (2-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile) technetium-99 (99Tc-SESTAMIBI), the ground state of the organotechnetium radiopharmaceutical used for the noninvasive evaluation of myocardial perfusion and viability by scintigraphy, has been determined by a novel application of electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA) and 99Tc-NMR spectroscopy. In cryopreserved cultured chick heart cells equilibrated in 36 microM 99Tc-SESTAMIBI, EPXMA imaging of mitochondria yielded a respiratory uncoupler-sensitive characteristic 99Tc X-ray peak representing 32.0 +/- 2.9 nmoles Tc/mg dry weight, while EPXMA of cytoplasm or nucleus showed no peak significantly greater than the threshold detectability limit of approximately 1 nmole/mg dry weight. Technetium-99 NMR spectroscopy of heart cells equilibrated with 99Tc-SESTAMIBI showed a single peak at -45.5 ppm with no evidence of significant line broadening or chemical shift compared to aqueous chemical standards, indicating that the majority of the complex exists unbound within the mitochondrial matrix. These data quantitatively demonstrate the localization of this lipophilic cationic organometallic complex within mitochondria in situ, consistent with a sequestration mechanism dependent on membrane potentials. Furthermore, this study establishes the general feasibility of combined EPXMA and NMR spectroscopy for the direct subcellular localization and characterization of metallopharmaceuticals, techniques that are readily applicable to MR contrast agents.

Na+/K+ pump inhibition induces cell shrinkage in cultured chick cardiac myocytes

Myocardial cell swelling occurs in ischemia and in reperfusion injury before the onset of irreversible injury. Swelling has been attributed to failure of the Na+/K+ pump and the accumulation of intracellular Na+. To evaluate the role of the pump-leak model of cell volume maintenance, short term changes in cell volume in response to Na+/K+ pump inhibition were studied in aggregates of cultured embryonic chick cardiac myocytes using optical and biochemical methods. Exposure to 100 microM ouabain over 20 min induced cell shrinkage of approximately 10%. Cell water was also decreased by Na+/K+ pump inhibition; incubation for 1 hr either in the presence of 100 microM ouabain or in K(+)-free solution reduced cell water by 18.4% and 28.4% respectively. When exposed to ouabain in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the aggregates swelled by approximately 15%, indicating that extracellular Ca2+ was required for the ouabain-induced shrinkage to occur. Ouabain still caused shrinkage, however, in the presence of the Ca2+ channel blockers verapamil (10 microM) and nifedipine (10 microM), suggesting that Na+/Ca2+ exchange, rather than Ca2+ channels, is the route for Ca2+ influx during Na+/K+ pump inhibition. Efflux of amino acids (taurine, aspartate, glutamate, glycine and alanine) from confluent monolayers of chick heart cells exposed to ouabain for 20 min was nearly double that observed in control solution. These results suggest that, during Na+/K+ pump inhibition, chick heart cells can limit accumulation of intracellular sodium by means of Na+/Ca2+ exchange, and that a rise in intracellular [Ca2+], also mediated by Na+/Ca2+ exchange, promotes the loss of amino acids and ions to cause cell shrinkage. Therefore, swelling during ischemic injury may not result from Na+/K+ pump failure alone, but may reflect the exhaustion of alternative volume regulatory transport mechanisms.

Microprobe analysis of Tc-MIBI in heart cells: calculation of mitochondrial membrane potential

Hexakis (2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile) technetium-99m (99mTc-MIBI) is a gamma-emitting radiopharmaceutical probe currently in clinical use to evaluate myocardial perfusion. Biochemical and cellular pharmacological studies have suggested that Tc-MIBI, a lipophilic cation, is sequestered in mitochondria in response to transmembrane potentials. To assess directly the subcellular distribution of the probe in heart tissue, cultured chick heart cells were analyzed by electron-probe X-ray microanalysis (EPXMA) following equilibration in micromolar concentrations of carrier-added 99Tc-MIBI, the ground-state radiopharmaceutical. Quantitation of the physiological elements Na, Ca, Mg, K, S, P, and Cl was correlated with exposure to increasing concentrations of 99Tc-MIBI. EPXMA signals indicated that 99Tc-MIBI was concentrated up to 1,000 times into mitochondria in a dose-dependent fashion based on measured Tc content in the mitochondria. Inner membrane potential (delta psi) of individual mitochondria was calculated as -117 mV using the Nernst equation. Concentrations of 99Tc-MIBI > 36 microM caused a significant efflux of K and Mg from the cell, as well as an increase in Cl in the mitochondria. Comparison of cell ultrastructure with conventional electron microscopy at extracellular 99Tc-MIBI concentrations of 36-72 microM showed no changes compared with control. 99Tc-MIBI allows valuable in situ investigation of cellular bioenergetics with EPXMA by quantitation of delta psi.

In vivo estimation of cardiac transmembrane current

The ionic currents that cross the myocardial membrane during cardiac activation have a corresponding return path in the extracellular space. The transmembrane current (Im) during activation of cardiac cells in situ has previously been envisioned only in mathematical models. We have developed a remarkably simple in vivo technique that incorporates an electrode array with cellular dimensions to continuously estimate the extracellular counterparts of cardiac Ims. Mathematical modeling was performed for uniform plane wave propagation to clarify the biophysical basis and underlying assumptions inherent in this approach. Five-element electrode arrays incorporating 75-microns-diameter silver electrodes with center-to-center distances of 210 microns were experimentally verified to provide spatially sufficient samples for voltage gradient determinations of myocardial activation. Similar results were obtained with 25-microns-diameter electrodes at a center-to-center spacing of 65 microns. An estimate of Im was obtained from the derivative of the magnitude of the voltage gradient of the measured interstitial potentials. The inward component of Im generated by normal Na+ channel activation at 37 degrees C was measured in vivo to be less than 1 msec in duration, consistent with previously known voltage-clamp and simulation results. Intravenous KCl bolus injection was used to demonstrate the voltage-dependent depression of Na(+)-mediated Im in vivo, culminating in either severely depressed Na(+)-mediated or Ca(2+)-mediated activations. Normal Na(+)-, depressed Na(+)-, and possibly Ca(2+)-mediated currents can be recorded in vivo using this technique.

Electrophysiological interaction through the interstitial space between adjacent unmyelinated parallel fibers

The influence of interstitial or extracellular potentials on propagation usually has been ignored, often through assuming these potentials to be insignificantly different from zero, presumably because both measurements and calculations become much more complex when interstitial interactions are included. This study arose primarily from an interest in cardiac muscle, where it has been well established that substantial interstitial potentials occur in tightly packed structures, e.g., tens of millivolts within the ventricular wall. We analyzed the electrophysiological interaction between two adjacent unmyelinated fibers within a restricted extracellular space. Numerical evaluations made use of two linked core-conductor models and Hodgkin-Huxley membrane properties. Changes in transmembrane potentials induced in the second fiber ranged from nonexistent with large intervening volumes to large enough to initiate excitation when fibers were coupled by interstitial currents through a small interstitial space. With equal interstitial and intracellular longitudinal conductivities and close coupling, the interaction was large enough (induced Vm approximately 20 mV peak-to-peak) that action potentials from one fiber initiated excitation in the other, for the 40-microns radius evaluated. With close coupling but no change in structure, propagation velocity in the first fiber varied from 1.66 mm/ms (when both fibers were simultaneously stimulated) to 2.84 mm/ms (when the second fiber remained passive). Although normal propagation through interstitial interaction is unlikely, the magnitudes of the electrotonic interactions were large and may have a substantial modulating effect on function.

A model of the ventricular cardiac action potential. Depolarization, repolarization, and their interaction

A mathematical model of the membrane action potential of the mammalian ventricular cell is introduced. The model is based, whenever possible, on recent single-cell and single-channel data and incorporates the possibility of changing extracellular potassium concentration [K]o. The fast sodium current, INa, is characterized by fast upstroke velocity (Vmax = 400 V/sec) and slow recovery from inactivation. The time-independent potassium current, IK1, includes a negative-slope phase and displays significant crossover phenomenon as [K]o is varied. The time-dependent potassium current, IK, shows only a minimal degree of crossover. A novel potassium current that activates at plateau potentials is included in the model. The simulated action potential duplicates the experimentally observed effects of changes in [K]o on action potential duration and rest potential. Physiological simulations focus on the interaction between depolarization and repolarization (i.e., premature stimulation). Results demonstrate the importance of the slow recovery of INa in determining the response of the cell. Simulated responses to periodic stimulation include monotonic Wenckebach patterns and alternans at normal [K]o, whereas at low [K]o nonmonotonic Wenckebach periodicities, aperiodic patterns, and enhanced supernormal excitability that results in unstable responses ("chaotic activity") are observed. The results are consistent with recent experimental observations, and the model simulations relate these phenomena to the underlying ionic channel kinetics.

Effects of tetrodotoxin on heart cell aggregates. Phase resetting and annihilation of activity

The influence of relatively low concentrations of tetrodotoxin (TTX) on phase resetting of spontaneous activity of embryonic chick atrial heart cell aggregates by brief duration current pulses was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The maximal upstroke velocity, Vmax, of the spontaneous action potential was reduced by TTX in a concentration-dependent manner for [TTX] less than 10(-7) M. However, the beat rate was unaffected in this concentration range. Application of a depolarizing current pulse of brief duration during a critical region of the spontaneous cycle annihilated activity in some preparations exposed to [TTX] approximately 10(-7) M. These results were analyzed with the model of electrical activity described in the previous paper (Clay, J.R., R.M. Brochu, and A. Shrier. 1990. Biophys. J. 58:609-621) based on a tonic block of the INa channel by TTX with a dissociation constant, KD, of 50 nM.

Na/K pump current in aggregates of cultured chick cardiac myocytes

Spontaneously beating aggregates of cultured embryonic chick cardiac myocytes, maintained at 37 degrees C, were voltage clamped using a single microelectrode switching clamp to measure the current generated by the Na/K pump (Ip). In resting, steady-state preparations an ouabain-sensitive current of 0.46 +/- 0.03 microA/cm2 (n = 22) was identified. This current was not affected by 1 mM Ba, which was used to reduce inward rectifier current (IK1) and linearize the current-voltage relationship. When K-free solution was used to block Ip, subsequent addition of Ko reactivated the Na/K pump, generating an outward reactivation current that was also ouabain sensitive. The reactivation current magnitude was a saturating function of Ko with a Hill coefficient of 1.7 and K0.5 of 1.9 mM in the presence of 144 mM Nao. The reactivation current was increased in magnitude when Nai was increased by lengthening the period of time that the preparation was exposed to K-free solution prior to reactivation. When Nai was raised by 3 microM monensin, steady-state Ip was increased more than threefold above the resting value to 1.74 +/- 0.09 microA/cm2 (n = 11). From these measurements and other published data we calculate that in a resting myocyte: (a) the steady-state Ip should hyperpolarize the membrane by 6.5 mV, (b) the turnover rate of the Na/K pump is 29 s-1, and (c) the Na influx is 14.3 pmol/cm2.s. We conclude that in cultured embryonic chick cardiac myocytes, the Na/K pump generates a measurable current which, under certain conditions, can be isolated from other membrane currents and has properties similar to those reported for adult cardiac cells.

Blockade of rabbit atrial sodium channels by lidocaine. Characterization of continuous and frequency-dependent blocking

Lidocaine block of the cardiac sodium channel is believed to be primarily a function of channel state. For subthreshold potentials, block is limited to the inactivated state, whereas above threshold, block results from the combination of open- and inactivated-state block. Since, in the absence of drug, inactivation develops with time constants that vary from several hundred milliseconds to a few milliseconds as potential is varied from subthreshold to strongly depolarized levels, we would predict a similar voltage dependence of at least a fraction of block. Prior theoretical analyses from our laboratory suggest that there should be a direct parallel between blockade determined with a single pulse and trains of pulses. We tested these predictions by measuring the blockade of sodium current in cultured atrial myocytes during exposure to 80 microM lidocaine. We selected two test potentials for most of our studies, -80 mV, which was clearly in the subthreshold range of potentials, and -20 mV, which was close to the peak of the current-voltage curve. With single pulses of increasing duration, block developed with a single exponential time course and with time constants that decreased from 694 +/- 117 msec at -80 mV to 373 +/- 54 msec at -20 mV. In the absence of drug, inactivation developed with a time constant 176 +/- 17 at -80 mV and 2.9 +/- .5 msec at -20 mV. Despite the much slower onset of inactivation at -80 mV, no second-order delay in block development was observed. This suggests that at -80 mV block is occurring to a channel conformation that is accessed without delay rather than the classical inactivated state. We compared the kinetics of block during a single continuous pulse with trains of pulses at -20 mV. The rate of block onset was faster during the pulse trains, suggesting an element of "activated state" block. We computed shifts in apparent inactivation from observed steady-state blockade. The computed shifts agree well with those observed, indicating that shifts in apparent inactivation result largely from voltage-sensitive equilibrium blockade. The classical states described in the Hodgkin-Huxley formalism may be too restrictive to fully describe the voltage- and time-dependent block of cardiac sodium channels.

The response of single cardiac sodium channels in neonatal rats to the dihydropyridines CGP 28392 and (-)-Bay K 8644

Cell-attached patch clamp recording of elementary Na+ currents were performed at 19 degrees C in neonatal cultured rat heart cells to study Na+ channel properties in the presence of dihydropyridines. Bath application of racemic CGP 28392, at 5 mumol/l, activated Na+ channels. By increasing the open probability, P0, and/or the number of functioning Na+ channels, peak INa in reconstructed macroscopic Na+ currents rose without changes in the decay kinetics. This was accompanied by a prolongation of open time. (-)-Bay K 8644 (1-10 mumol/l) had the same effect. In the presence of either agonist, Na+ channels retained an uniform open state and, as estimated from the mean number of openings per sequence, their initial tendency to reopen. Rarely appearing ultralong opening sequences are unlikely to be drug-induced as Na+ channels can likewise switch into this particular activity mode under drug-free conditions. Racemic CGP 28392, at 50 mumol/l, blocked Na+ channels in an all-or-none fashion suggesting that one enantiomer acts as agonist and the other enantiomer as blocker. A quite different response consisting of the occurrence of a second open state with a several-fold increased life time and a significantly increased reopening was observed with (-)-Bay K 8644 in damaged cardiocytes with hyperpermeable membranes and after patch excision into drug-containing solution. Evidence was obtained from control inside-out patches that this increased reopening is most probably caused by the solvent, ethanol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Isoproterenol, DBcAMP, and forskolin inhibit cardiac sodium current

We studied the effects of isoproterenol (ISP), dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (DBcAMP), and forskolin on the sodium current (INa) of guinea pig ventricular myocytes using the tight-seal, whole cell voltage-clamp method. The extracellular [Na+] [( Na+]o) was decreased to 60 mM by replacing NaCl with sucrose (temperature, 32-33 degrees C). Ionic currents other than Na+ were suppressed using appropriate channel blockers. Depolarizing clamp pulse (duration, 30 ms) was applied at a rate of 0.2 Hz from a holding potential of -80 mV. ISP (1 microM) decreased the peak INa by 34% from 6.1 +/- 1.9 (SD) nA (control) to 4.0 +/- 1.5 nA (n = 7). The inhibition was more prominent at less negative potentials and disappeared in the presence of a beta-blocker (10 microM atenolol). The effects of DBcAMP (1-5 mM) and forskolin (3 microM) mimicked those of ISP and depressed the peak INa reversibly. DBcAMP (5 mM) shifted the inactivation curve of INa [h infinity-membrane potential (Em) relationship] to a hyperpolarizing direction, by 3.4 +/- 0.8 mV (n = 5). These findings suggest that ISP inhibits the cardiac INa+, probably by altering the gating mechanism of the Na+ channel, and that the effect is secondary to the increased levels of intracellular cAMP, with possible acceleration of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the channel.

Effect of Bay K8644 on cytosolic calcium transients and contraction in embryonic cardiac ventricular myocytes

Cytosolic calcium transients were recorded from spontaneously beating chick embryonic myocardial cell aggregates loaded with the fluorescent [Ca2+]i indicator, indo-1. Calcium transients rose rapidly from an end-diastolic [Ca2+]i of 230 +/- 18 nM to a peak systolic [Ca2+]i of 619 +/- 34 nM (n = 21). Relaxation of the transients was slow, and continued throughout diastole. Bay K8644 (0.5 microM) markedly prolonged the action potential and caused similar prolongation of the calcium transients. Calcium transients in the presence of Bay K8644 had an inflection on their rising phase, which was followed by a more gradual increase that continued until the membrane had repolarized to a negative potential of -15 to -30 mV. Bay K8644 caused marked elevation of peak systolic [Ca2+]i to 955 +/- 56 nM (P less than 0.002), with concomitant elevation of end-diastolic [Ca2+]i to 400 +/- 36 nM (P less than 0.002). Optical recordings of contraction showed changes similar to those in the calcium transient: the initial upstroke of the contraction was followed by a more gradual second component, which gave the contraction a "half-dome" appearance. The time to peak [Ca2+]i and the time to peak contraction increased linearly with action potential duration (APD50). The effects of Bay K8644 were simulated, in part, by CsCl (7.5 mM), which produced equivalent prolongation of the action potential and calcium transients. However, CsCl did not elevate diastolic [Ca2+]i. To determine the mechanism of the diastolic [Ca2+]i increase, Bay K8644 was applied to aggregates rendered quiescent by tetrodotoxin. Bay K8644 caused a graded increase in [Ca2+]i, which was followed by resumption of spontaneous beating.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of AN-132, a novel antiarrhythmic lidocaine analogue, and of lidocaine on membrane ionic currents of guinea-pig ventricular myocytes

We studied the effects of AN-132 (10, 30 and 100 mumol/l), an analogue of lidocaine, on membrane currents and action potentials of single guinea-pig ventricular cells using whole-cell clamp techniques. The effects of lidocaine, an authentic class I antiarrhythmic agent were used for comparative purposes. (1) AN-132 decreased the Na current (INa) in a concentration-dependent manner, with a greater efficacy than seen with lidocaine. The concentration of the half maximal inhibition on INa (Kd) was 31.7 mumol/l for AN-132 and 94.9 mumol/l for lidocaine. (2) AN-132 also decreased the Ca current (ICa), concentration-dependently, while lidocaine had only a minor effect on ICa. The half maximal inhibition on ICa (Kd) was 23.1 mumol/l and 27.4 mumol/l for AN-132 and lidocaine, respectively. (3) AN-132 decreased the IK1, in a concentration-dependent manner; lidocaine was without effect. (4) AN-132 increased the unspecified steady state outward current, at positive potentials and depressed the time- and voltage-dependent outward K current (IK). Lidocaine had no effect on either current. (5) AN-132 shortened the action potential duration (APD), in a concentration-dependent manner, without altering the resting potential. From these findings, we conclude that apart from a potent inhibitory effect on INa, AN-132 had a variety of effects on other currents, properties not shared by lidocaine. Such multiple blocking effects on the membrane currents may relate to the alleged potent antiarrhythmic effect of AN-132.

Sodium current kinetics in intact rat papillary muscle: measurements with the loose-patch-clamp technique

1. Rapid inward sodium current (INa) was studied on intact rat papillary muscles and trabeculae excised from right or left ventricle using the loose-patch-clamp technique. All experiments were carried out at 25 degrees C. 2. Currents were recorded from patches with a large current density of mean 5.9 +/- 0.5 mA/cm2. 3. The current was reduced by tetrodotoxin (TTX) in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration of TTX producing half-maximal blockade of INa was 6.3 +/- 0.8 mumol/l. 4. Na+ current appeared upon depolarization at a threshold potential of about -55 mV and reached its maximum at about -20 mV. 5. Kinetic data were evaluated using the Hodgkin-Huxley model. 6. Time constants of activation (tau m) were estimated using single-pulse and tail-current measurements. They had a maximum of about 0.4 ms near the threshold potential and declined at more positive and at more negative potentials to values near 0.1 ms. 7. Two time constants were necessary to describe inactivation. Both time constants had their maximal values of 135 +/- 8.1 and 29.1 +/- 5.9 ms at about -80 mV and decreased towards 4 and 0.5 ms at potentials positive to -20 mV.

Quantitative microchemical imaging of calcium in Na-K pump inhibited heart cells

Quantitative electron probe X-ray imaging techniques have been utilized to determine simultaneously the element content within a single cultured embryonic chick heart cell and its intracellular compartments as well as the average elemental content of several heart cells within a population. These features of microchemical imaging have permitted establishment of data regarding: (1) the heterogeneity of calcium accumulation in mitochondrial, cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments under conditions which elevate total cell calcium without producing irreversible cell injury; and (2) the variability of calcium accumulation from cell to cell within the population sampled. The results indicate that during Na-K pump inhibition (K-free HT-BSS, 10(-4) M ouabain, 60 min) elevation of mitochondrial calcium, measured in situ by electron probe X-ray microanalysis, to levels more than 100 times greater than in the basal state, may not cause irreversible mitochondrial uncoupling and cell death.

Predominance of poorly reopening single Na+ channels and lack of slow Na+ inactivation in neonatal cardiocytes

Elementary Na+ currents through single cardiac Na+ channels were recorded at -50 mV in cell-attached patches from neonatal rat cardiocytes kept at holding potentials between -100 and -120 mV. Na+ channel activity may occur as burst-like, closely-timed repetitive openings with shut times close to 0.5-0.6 msec, indicating that an individual Na+ channel may reopen several times during step depolarization. A systematic quantitative analysis in 19 cell-attached patches showed that reopening may be quite differently pronounced. The majority, namely 16 patches, contained Na+ channels with a low tendency to reopen. This was evidenced from the average value for the mean number of openings per sequence, 2.5. Strikingly different results were obtained in a second group of three patches. Here, a mean number of openings per sequence of 3.42, 3.72, and 5.68 was found. Ensemble averages from the latter group of patches revealed macroscopic Na+ currents with a biexponential decay phase. Reconstructed Na+ currents from patches with poorly reopening Na+ channels were devoid of a slow decay component. This strongly suggests that reopening may be causally related to slow Na+ inactivation. Poorly pronounced reopening and, consequently, the lack of slow Na+ inactivation could be characteristic features of neonatal cardiac Na+ channels.

A study of the electrical characteristics of sodium currents in single ventricular cells of the frog

1. The generation of action potentials elicited from enzymatically dispersed ventricular cells from the frog, Rana catesbeiana, has been shown to be due to the influx of both Na+ and Ca2+. The maximum rate of rise, the amplitude and the duration at 50% repolarization of the action potential were estimated to be 26.4 +/- 5.1 V/s (n = 8), 110 +/- 2.7 mV (n = 8) and 601 +/- 180 ms (n = 8) at 15 degrees C, respectively. 2. Inward Na+ current (INa) was studied in these ventricular cells by the whole-cell patch clamp technique in a medium where Ca2+ current was eliminated by substituting extracellular Mg2+ for Ca2+ and K+ current was suppressed by applying Cs+ intracellularly. All the voltage clamp experiments were carried out at 4 degrees C. 3. INa elicited by single depolarizing steps from a holding potential (VH) of -80 mV had a threshold of -50 mV and was maximal at -20 mV. Peak currents in normal Ringer solution containing 113.5 mM-Na+ were of the order of 0.01-0.02 mA/cm2. Maximum Na+ conductance (gNa) was calculated to be 5.9 mS/cm2. 4. Under normal conditions the reversal potential for INa was determined to be 50 mV, which is close to the value predicted from the Nernst equation. The reversal potential changed by 59 mV per tenfold change in the activity of extracellular Na+ (aNa). 5. The instantaneous relation between INa tail currents and membrane potential is linear, crossing the abscissa at the reversal potential for INa. 6. Reconstructions of INa were made in terms of the parameters of the Hodgkin-Huxley model for the squid axon, using constants obtained from the frog ventricular cells. 7. The falling phase of INa and the development of inactivation measured by the double-pulse method could be well fitted by a single-exponential function. 8. The time course for recovery of INa from inactivation exhibited a single time constant.

Effects of goniopora toxin on the action potential and membrane currents of guinea-pig single ventricular cells

The effects of Goniopora toxin (GPT), a polypeptide isolated from a coral, Goniopora spp., on action potential and membrane currents were studied in single ventricular cells of the guinea-pig using the whole-cell clamp technique with a single patch electrode. GPT at a concentration of 10 nmol/l prolonged the duration of the action potential without significant change in the resting membrane potential and action potential amplitudes. This prolongation became more evident at lower stimulus frequencies and persisted after washing with toxin-free solution. Tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 mumol/l), but not Co2+ (2 mmol/l), abolished the prolonged action potential. Under voltage-clamp conditions, a sustained inward current, not present in the control, followed the transient inward current during depolarizing pulses in the GPT-treated cells. The current-voltage relationship for the sustained inward current was much the same as that for the fast sodium current reported in rat single ventricular cells (Brown et al. 1981). Both the sustained and transient currents were abolished by the shift of holding potential in the direction of depolarization and reappeared after repolarization; the reappearance of the sustained current was much slower than that of the transient current. TTX but not Co2+ abolished both the sustained and transient inward currents. Calcium current and time-independent current were not affected by GPT. Time-dependent outward current induced by large depolarizing pulses was attenuated by GPT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Development of the fast sodium current in early embryonic chick heart cells

Single ventricle cells were dissociated from the hearts of two-, three-, four- or seven-day-old chick embryos, and were maintained in vitro for an additional 6 to 28 hr. Rounded 13 to 18 micron cells with input capacitance of 5 to 10 pF were selected for analysis of fast sodium current (INa). Voltage command protocols designed to investigate the magnitude, voltage dependence, and kinetics of INa were applied with patch electrodes in the whole-cell clamp configuration. INa was present in over half of the 2d, and all 3d, 4d and 7d cells selected. The current showed no systematic differences in activation kinetics, voltage dependence, or tetrodotoxin (TTX) sensitivity with age or culture conditions. Between the 2d and 7d stages, the rate of current inactivation doubled and channel density increased about eightfold. At all stages tested, INa was blocked by TTX at a half-effective concentration of 0.5 to 1.0 nM. We conclude that the lack of Na dependence of the action potential upstroke on the second day of development results from the relatively depolarized level of the diastolic potential, and failure to activate the small available excitatory Na current. The change from Ca to Na dependence of the upstroke during the third to the seventh day of incubation results partly from the negative shift of the diastolic potential during this period, and in part from the increase in available Na conductance.

Currents through ionic channels in multicellular cardiac tissue and single heart cells

Ionic channels are elementary excitable elements in the cell membranes of heart and other tissues. They produce and transduce electrical signals. After decades of trouble with quantitative interpretation of voltage-clamp data from multicellular heart tissue, due to its morphological complexness and methodological limitations, cardiac electrophysiologists have developed new techniques for better control of membrane potential and of the ionic and metabolic environment on both sides of the plasma membrane, by the use of single heart cells. Direct recordings of the behavior of single ionic channels have become possible by using the patch-clamp technique, which was developed simultaneously. Biochemists have made excellent progress in purifying and characterizing ionic channel proteins, and there has been initial success in reconstituting some partially purified channels into lipid bilayers, where their function can be studied.

Sodium current in single cells from bullfrog atrium: voltage dependence and ion transfer properties

1. Whole-cell and patch-clamp techniques (Hamill, Marty, Neher, Sakmann & Sigworth, 1981) have been used to make quantitative measurements of the transient inward sodium current (INa) in single cells from bullfrog atrium. This preparation is particularly suitable for the study of INa: (i) the current density is relatively low, (ii) the cells lack a transverse tubule system, (iii) isolated myocytes can be maintained at reduced temperatures (approximately 8-12 degrees C); therefore kinetics can be studied quantitatively. 2. INa was pharmacologically and kinetically isolated from other transmembrane currents by blocking ICa with CdCl2 (0.2-0.5 mM) or LaCl3 (5 x 10(-6) M), and by using only relatively short voltage-clamp depolarizations which did not activate IK (the delayed rectifier). 3. The voltage dependence of INa in bullfrog atrium is similar to that in amphibian node of Ranvier or fast skeletal muscle. The threshold for activation is approximately -50 mV. The peak of the INa vs. membrane potential relation is near -5 to -10 mV. The reversal potential in 'normal' (115 mM-Na+) Ringer solution is +59.0 mV (S.D. +/- 3.4, n = 10). Reduction of external Na+ concentration to one-third of normal resulted in an approximately -27 mV shift of the reversal potential, close to that expected for a highly Na+-selective conductance. 4. Steady-state inactivation of INa (h infinity), measured with a conventional two-pulse voltage-clamp protocol, spanned the membrane potential range from -90 to -50 mV. The potential dependence of h infinity was well described by a single Boltzmann function with half-inactivation at -71 mV and maximum slope of 6.0 mV. 5. Steady-state activation of INa (m infinity) was determined from fits of INa records to a Hodgkin-Huxley model. The potential dependence of m infinity was fitted to a Boltzmann function with half-activation at -33 mV and maximum slope of 9.5 mV. Thus at temperatures around 10 degrees C there was very little overlap of the m infinity and h infinity curves, and only very small steady-state 'window' currents are predicted. 6. The activation time constant, tau m, had a 'bell-shaped' dependence on membrane potential. The peak value of tau m was about 4.2 ms, at a membrane potential of -35 mV (9 degrees C). 7. The time course of inactivation of INa was consistently better described by the sum of two exponentials than by one exponential.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Revised formulation of the Hodgkin-Huxley representation of the sodium current in cardiac cells

The purpose of this paper is to revise the parameters of the Hodgkin-Huxley formulation for the Na+ current in ventricular myocardial cells. To this end we have assembled much of the recent voltage clamp data on cardiac preparations obtained with modern voltage clamp and patch clamp techniques. The selected activation and inactivation characteristics of the Na+ channel and other membrane parameters represent a good compromise between available experimental measurements and lead to a reasonable average representation of the cardiac Na+ membrane current. The resulting Na+ conductance changes during the action potential upstroke are much larger than in earlier models, so that the upstroke is much faster and the peak depolarization is close to the Na+ equilibrium potential. The firing threshold level is nearly constant for resting potentials in the range of -70 and -90 mV. The maximum rate of rise of the action potential displayed by the new model is quite comparable to experimental observations.

Sodium current in voltage clamped internally perfused canine cardiac Purkinje cells

Study of the excitatory sodium current (INa) intact heart muscle has been hampered by the limitations of voltage clamp methods in multicellular preparations that result from the presence of large series resistance and from extracellular ion accumulation and depletion. To minimize these problems we voltage clamped and internally perfused freshly isolated canine cardiac Purkinje cells using a large bore (25-microns diam) double-barreled flow-through glass suction pipette. Control of [Na+]i was demonstrated by the agreement of measured INa reversal potentials with the predictions of the Nernst relation. Series resistance measured by an independent microelectrode was comparable to values obtained in voltage clamp studies of squid axons (less than 3.0 omega-cm2). The rapid capacity transient decays (tau c less than 15 microseconds) and small deviations of membrane potential (less than 4 mV at peak INa) achieved in these experiments represent good conditions for the study of INa. We studied INa in 26 cells (temperature range 13 degrees-24 degrees C) with 120 or 45 mM [Na+]o and 15 mM [Na+]i. Time to peak INa at 18 degrees C ranged from 1.0 ms (-40 mV) to less than 250 microseconds (+ 40 mV), and INa decayed with a time course best described by two time constants in the voltage range -60 to -10 mV. Normalized peak INa in eight cells at 18 degrees C was 2.0 +/- 0.2 mA/cm2 with [Na+]o 45 mM and 4.1 +/- 0.6 mA/cm2 with [Na+]o 120 mM. These large peak current measurements require a high density of Na+ channels. It is estimated that 67 +/- 6 channels/micron 2 are open at peak INa, and from integrated INa as many as 260 Na+ channels/micron2 are available for opening in canine cardiac Purkinje cells.

Mechanisms of closure of cardiac sodium channels in rabbit ventricular myocytes: single-channel analysis

We have examined the kinetics of closure of sodium channels using single-channel recordings in cell-attached and excised membrane patches of rabbit ventricular myocytes. Sodium-channel closure was dependent on membrane potential. The closing rate initially decreased with depolarization. The rate then passed through a minimum and increased at strongly depolarized potentials. We attempted to determine the separate voltage dependence of the deactivation and inactivation rate constants using the method of Aldrich, Corey, and Stevens. In a majority of experiments, the method did not give internally consistent results. As an alternative approach, batrachotoxin was used to remove inactivation and determine the voltage dependence of deactivation rate. The deactivation rate decreased with depolarization. To account for the increase in the closing rate at strongly depolarized test potentials, one must postulate voltage dependence of inactivation. The ensemble average current relaxed with a time course that was usually best described by the sum of two exponentials. The larger of the two rate constants that described the relaxation was strongly voltage-dependent, increasing with depolarization. The larger rate constant may reflect voltage-dependent inactivation. We found evidence of two possible mechanisms for the slow component of relaxation: 1) cardiac sodium channels may open repetitively during a given depolarizing epoch, and 2) channels may return from the inactivated state with low probability and burst for as much as 200 msec with open times that are longer than those during usual gating. The slow component appears to be more prominent in cardiac muscle than in nerve and may play an important role in the control of the action potential duration and the inotropic state of the heart.

Cardiac cellular electrophysiology: past and present

The time-course of the cardiac action potential can be accounted for in terms of ionic currents crossing the cell membranes. Depolarizing current is carried by Na+ or Ca2+ entering the cells, repolarizing current by K+ leaving the cells. Membrane permeability for the passive movement of these ions is thought to be voltage-dependent as well as time-dependent. Net transfer of charge may also result from active transport, 2 Na+ out against 1 K+ in; or coupled exchange, 3 or 4 Na+ in against 1 Ca2+ out. This review follows the path by which present-day knowledge has been reached. It also gives a few examples to illustrate that electrophysiology has provided concepts useful to clinical cardiology.

Repolarization currents in embryonic chick atrial heart cell aggregates

Outward membrane currents in aggregates of atrial cells prepared from 7-12-d-old chick embryonic hearts were measured with the two microelectrode voltage-clamp technique. Two outward current components, Ix1 and Ix2, were found in the plateau potential range of the action potential. The Ix1 component is activated between -50 and -20 mV; the Ix2 component is activated between -15 and +20 mV. The Ix1 component inwardly rectifies, whereas Ix2 has an approximately linear current-voltage relation. These preparations lack a time-dependent pacemaker current component, even though they beat spontaneously with an interbeat interval of approximately 1 s. A mathematical model of electrical activity is described based on our measurements of time-dependent outward current, and measurements in the literature of inward current components.

Modification of single cardiac Na+ channels by DPI 201-106

In inside-out patches from cultured neonatal rat heart cells, single Na+ channel currents were analyzed under the influence of the cardiotonic compound DPI 201-106 (DPI), a putative novel channel modifier. In absence of DPI, normal cardiac single Na+ channels studied at -30 mV have one open state which is rapidly left with a rate constant of 826.5 sec -1 at 20 degrees C during sustained depolarization. Reconstructed macroscopic currents relax completely with 7 to 10 msec. The current decay fits a single exponential. A considerable percentage of openings may occur during relaxation of the macroscopic current. In patches treated with 3 X 10(-6) m DPI in the pipette solution, stepping to -30 mV results in drastically prolonged and usually repetitive openings. This channel activity mostly persists over the whole depolarization (usually 160 msec in duration) but is abruptly terminated on clamping back the patch to the holding potential. Besides these modified events, apparently normal openings occur. The open time distribution of DPI-treated Na+ channels is the sum of two exponentials characterized by time constants of 0.85 msec (which is close to the time constant found in the control patches, 1.21 msec) and 12 msec. Moreover, DPI-modified Na+ channels exhibit a sustained high, time-independent open probability. Similar to normal Na+ channels, is voltage-dependent and increases on shifting the holding potential in the hyperpolarizing direction. These kinetic changes suggest an elimination of Na+ channel inactivation as it may follow from an interaction of DPI with Na+ channels.

Differential toxicity of Physalia physalis (Portuguese man-o'war) nematocysts separated by flow cytometry

Flow cytometric separation of Physalia physalis nematocysts resulted in isolation of the two previously reported sizes of organelles measuring 10.6 and 23.5 nm in diameter. The venom of the smaller nematocysts, which are present in greater abundance, was lethal in vitro to chick embryonic cardiocytes at doses of 0.6 microgram protein/culture, whereas 20 micrograms protein prepared from the larger nematocysts was inocuous. SDS gel electrophoresis revealed common proteins of 69,000, 82,000 and 50,000-65,000 mol. wt in the nematocyst contents of both sizes of organelles.

Partial purification of Chironex fleckeri (sea wasp) venom by immunochromatography with antivenom

Chironex fleckeri crude venom was partially purified using immobilized commercially available ovoid antivenom. The antibody preparation reacted with lethal, hemolytic, dermonecrotic and mouse writhing (pain) factors in the crude venom. The lethal activity was purified five fold, while the specific eluate contained lower quantities of hemolytic, dermonecrotic and mouse writhing activities than did the crude venom.

Linear impedance studies of voltage-dependent conductances in tissue cultured chick heart cells

Plateau and pacemaker currents from tissue cultured clusters of embryonic chick heart cells were studied in the time domain, using voltage-clamp steps, and in the frequency domain, using a wide-band noise input superimposed on a steady holding voltage. In the presence of tetrodotoxin to block the sodium channel, a depolarizing voltage step into the plateau range elicited: (a) a rapid (approximately equal to 2 ms) activation of the slow inward current; (b) a subsequent slower (approximately equal to 25 ms) decline in the slow inward current; and (c) activation of a very slow (5 to 10 s) outward current. Impedance studies in this voltage range could clearly resolve two voltage-dependent processes, which appeared to correspond to points b and c above because of their voltage dependence, pharmacology, and time constants. A correlate of point a was also probably present but difficult to resolve owing to the fast time constant of activation for the slow inward channel. At voltages negative to -50 mV a new voltage-dependent process could be resolved, which, because of its voltage dependence and time constant, appeared to represent the pacemaker channel (also termed If or IK2). In the Appendix, linear models of voltage-dependent channels and ion accumulation/depletion are derived and these are compared with our data. Most of the above-mentioned processes could be attributed to voltage-dependent channels with kinetics similar to those observed in time domain, voltage-clamp studies. However, the frequency domain correlate of the decline of the slow inward current was incompatible with channel gating, rather, it appears accumulation/depletion of calcium may dominate the decline in this preparation.

New studies of the excitatory sodium currents in heart muscle

After decades of frustration with inadequate methods, cardiac electrophysiologists have developed new techniques for superior control of membrane potential by use of single cells, and they have begun careful study of cardiac Na+ currents. Direct recordings of the behavior of single Na+ channels have been made by the newly developed patch clamp technique. Biochemists have made excellent progress purifying and characterizing the Na+ channel proteins, and there has been some initial success in reconstituting these partially purified channels into lipid bilayers, where their function can be studied. Even at this early stage of development of these new techniques, several conclusions are warranted: The cardiac Na+ currents are not accurately described by the original Hodgkin-Huxley mathematical formulation, making undesirable the further use of this model for study of cardiac excitation and conduction. We need to keep an open mind as to the kinetic behavior of Na+ channels, until the newer experimental techniques provide a more complete picture. Although the cardiac Na+ channel strongly resembles Na+ channels in other excitable tissues, important differences remain, reinforcing the idea that the detailed molecular structure of the cardiac Na+ channel will be different from its close relatives in other excitable cells. The density of Na+ channels in heart cell membranes is much less than in nerve and fast twitch skeletal muscle. The Na+ channels are the focus of action of many drugs and pathological processes. The tools are at hand for a complete description of the Na+ channel, including its gating and its molecular structure. We can expect considerable progress in this decade.

Single cells and rapid inward sodium current

This chapter presents a brief review of measurements of rapid inward sodium current in single cardiac cells. It is shown that the simplified morphology of the individual cells, with a lack of restricted extracellular space, has been exploited to provide improved spatial and temporal voltage control, resulting in the first recordings of both the activation and inactivation phases of rapid inward sodium current. It is to be expected that future research will produce much interesting data on this component of membrane current, which will have direct relevance to many processes concerned with cardiac function at the cellular level.

Immunochromatography and cardiotoxicity of sea nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) polyps and cysts

The cardiotoxicity and polypeptide content of sea nettle (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) polyps and cysts were studied. Crude polyp preparations were lethal to mice. Both crude polyp and cyst preparations were toxic to embryonic chick cardiocytes. The polyp cardiotoxin factor was purified ten-fold by immunosorbent chromatography using anti-sea nettle or anti-man-o'war (Physalia physalis) monoclonal antibodies. Even though the polyps were incubated at a constant temperature, it appeared that there was an inverse relationship between the presence of proteins of 160,000 and 55,000 mol. wt as winter progressed.

Interrelationships between toxins: studies on the cross-reactivity between bacterial or animal toxins and monoclonal antibodies to two jellyfish venoms

Affinity chromatography on columns of immobilized anti-Chrysaora and anti-Physalia monoclonal antibodies can be an effective purification tool for animal and bacterial toxins. Furthermore, the fact that specific fractions of a given species obtained from immunochromatography columns prepared with either monoclonal antibody possessed identical protein bands, were quantitatively similar in in vitro cardiotoxicity and bound like amounts of antibody, as indicated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, suggested that antigenic targets of the two monoclonal antibodies are cross-reactive and/or are located on the same molecule. Additional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were conducted using non-coelenterate toxins. The significant binding of brown recluse spider venom and purified cholera toxin to both our monoclonal antibodies indicated that these toxic substances shared a common or cross-reacting antigenic site(s) with some coelenterate venoms.

The effects of the Anemonia sulcata toxin (ATX II) on membrane currents of isolated mammalian myocytes

The effects of Anemonia sulcata toxin (ATX II) on action potentials and membrane currents were studied in single myocytes isolated from guinea-pig or bovine ventricles. Addition of ATX II (2-20 nM) prolonged the action potential duration without a significant change in resting membrane potential. Concentrations of 40 nM-ATX II or more induced after-depolarizations and triggered automaticity. The effects were reversible after washing or upon addition of 60 microM-tetrodotoxin (TTX). 5 mM-Ni did not modify the effects. The single patch-electrode voltage-clamp technique of Hamill, Marty, Neher, Sakmann & Sigworth (1981) was applied to record membrane currents in response to 8.4 S long depolarizations starting from a holding potential of -90 mV. Currents flowing later than 5 ms after the depolarizing step were analysed. The fast events could not be considered because of insufficient voltage homogeneity. After 2 min of exposure to ATX II (20 nM) the changes in net membrane currents were measured. The difference between the currents in the presence of ATX II and during control was defined as the 'ATX-II-induced current' (iATX). After 4 min of wash iATX disappeared. Within 10 S of exposure to 60 microM-TTX, iATX was blocked completely. At potentials positive to -60 mV, iATX was inwardly directed and decayed slowly but incompletely during the 8.4 S long depolarizing pulse. The rate of decay was faster during clamp pulses to more positive potentials. A high amplitude noise was superimposed on the current trace; its amplitude decreased with more positive potentials. We analysed the voltage dependence of iATX with 'isochronous' current-voltage relations. The 0.1 S isochrone of iATX was characterized by a 'threshold' for negative currents at -60 mV, a branch with a negative slope (k = -7 mV, potential of half-maximal activation (V0.5) = -38 mV, bovine cells) leading to a maximum inward current at -20 mV, and an ascending branch which led to an apparent reversal potential (Erev) around +40 mV. The values measured in guinea-pig myocytes were similar though not identical (k = -5.5 mV, V0.5 = -30 mV, maximum of inward current at -5 mV, Erev = +50 mV). Erev shifted to less positive potentials in later isochrones. Holding the membrane at -45 mV prevented the induction of extra current by ATX II. When the holding potential was then changed to -85 mV, iATX developed within some 2 min. Returning the holding potential to -45 mV blocked iATX with a similar slow time course.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The passive electrical properties of spheroidal aggregates cultured from neonatal rat heart cells

Membrane specific resistance and capacitance of non-spontaneously active spheroidal aggregates, cultured from collagenase-dissociated neonatal rat heart cells, were calculated from changes in membrane potential due to intracellularly injected rectangular hyper- and depolarizing current pulses during diastole. The relation between steady-state membrane voltage displacement and injected current is linear for current pulses between +10 and -10 nA. No significant fall-off of electrotonic potential is measured in an aggregate at increasing distances from the site of current injection. The aggregate membrane resistance (input resistance) was best fitted by an inverse square function of the aggregate radius. This suggests selective current flow through the outer membranes of the spheroidal aggregate. Taking this into account the membrane specific resistance was calculated to be 753 +/- 38 omega cm2 (S.E. of mean; n = 39). The time course of the change in membrane potential is exponential with a time constant ranging from 5 to 26 ms, depending on the aggregate radius. The aggregate membrane capacitance is calculated from the exponential transients for each aggregate and appears to be a cubic function of the radius, indicating that the membrane area of all cells in the preparation equally contributes to the input capacitance. The membrane specific capacitance is calculated to be 0.97 +/- 0.02 microF/cm2 (S.E. of mean; n = 100). It is concluded that myocytes in aggregates are electrically well coupled and that a resistance in series with the inner membranes, if present, is negligible compared to the membrane resistance of the internal cells. In order to explain the finding that the membrane resistance was not inversely related to the cube of the aggregate radius, it is postulated that the membrane specific resistance might be a function of aggregate radius.

Effects of D-600 on sodium current in squid axons

The effects of the calcium antagonist D-600 (methoxyverapamil) on the excitatory inward sodium current, INa, of internally perfused squid giant axons were studied under voltage-clamp conditions. We observed little or no effect of the drug when it was added to the external solution at concentrations of 10-200 microM. Furthermore, it did not produce a frequency, or use-dependent block of INa when repetitive voltage-clamp pulses were used at rates of 2-5 Hz. However, it did produce use-dependent blockade of INa when it was placed internally at a concentration of 200 microM. These results in conjunction with other studies suggest that D-600 is a selective blocker of calcium channels in squid axons when the drug is placed in the external solution. Its effects, when placed in the internal solution, are similar to those of permanently charged local anesthetic derivatives, which also produce use-dependent block of INa.

Propagation of excitation in idealized anisotropic two-dimensional tissue

This paper reports on a simulation of propagation for anisotropic two-dimensional cardiac tissue. The tissue structure assumed was that of a Hodgin-Huxley membrane separating inside and outside anisotropic media, obeying Ohm's law in each case. Membrane current was found by an integral expression involving partial spatial derivatives of Vm weighted by a function of distance. Numerical solutions for transmembrane voltage as a function of time following excitation at a single central site were computed using an algorithm that examined only the portion of the tissue undergoing excitation at each moment; thereby, the number of calculations required was reduced to a large but achievable number. Results are shown for several combinations of the four conductivity values: With isotropic tissue, excitation spread in circles, as expected. With tissue having nominally normal ventricular conductivities, excitation spread in patterns close to ellipses. With reciprocal conductivities, isochrones approximated a diamond shape, and were in conflict with the theoretical predictions of Muler and Markin; the time constant of the foot of the action potentials, as computed, varied between sites along axes as compared with sites along the diagonals, even though membrane properties were identical everywhere. Velocity of propagation changed for several milliseconds following the stimulus. Patterns that would have been expected from well-known studies in one dimension did not always occur in two dimensions, with the magnitude of the difference varying from nil for isotropic conductivities to quite large for reciprocal conductivities.

The surprising heart: a review of recent progress in cardiac electrophysiology

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