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Cardiovascular Research 1998 37(2):489-502; doi:10.1016/S0008-6363(97)00255-1
© 1998 by European Society of Cardiology
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Copyright © 1998, European Society of Cardiology

Non-uniform prolongation of intracellular Ca2+ transients recorded from the epicardial surface of isolated hearts from rabbits with heart failure

G.André Ng1, Stuart M Cobbe and Godfrey L Smith*

Department of Medical Cardiology and the Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK

* Corresponding author. Tel. (+44-141) 330-5963; Fax (+44-141) 330-4612.

Objectives: To study the time course of Ca2+ transients recorded from the left ventricular epicardial surface of isolated hearts from rabbits with heart failure and to correlate the results with mechanical function. Methods: Heart failure was induced in the rabbit 8 weeks after coronary ligation (n=17) with 13 controls. Echocardiography was used to assess in vivo left ventricular dysfunction. The fluorescent indicator Indo-1 was loaded into isolated Langendorff-perfused hearts and Ca2+ transients were recorded from 15 sites over the left ventricular epicardial surface using a single core light guide. The time course of the Ca2+ transients was analysed and the duration measured and correlated with in vitro mechanical function. Results: Significant mechanical dysfunction was produced in this model of heart failure. The mean duration of the Ca2+ transients obtained from failing hearts was prolonged (156.2±3.2 ms) when compared to controls (124.9±2.6 ms, P<0.001). Delayed relaxation as measured by the maximum rate of intraventricular pressure decay was significantly correlated with the prolonged Ca2+ transients (r=–0.63, P<0.001). In addition, there was increased variation of the Ca2+ transient duration in the failing hearts. Conclusions: Coronary artery ligation-induced heart failure is associated with changes in the surviving myocardium which result in a non-uniform prolongation of Ca2+ transient duration. This suggests that there is a regional heterogeneity to the abnormal intracellular Ca2+ handling in heart failure.

KEYWORDS Heart failure; Intracellular [Ca2+]; Ca2+ transient; Indo-1; Langendorff-perfused heart; Rabbit

1 Current address: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK.


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