Cardiac myocyte alternans in intact heart: Influence of cell-cell coupling and β-adrenergic stimulation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cardiac alternans are proarrhythmic and mechanistically link cardiac mechanical dysfunction and sudden cardiac death. Beat-to-beat alternans occur when beats with large Ca(2+) transients and long action potential duration (APD) alternate with the converse. APD alternans are typically driven by Ca(2+) alternans and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release alternans. But the effect of intercellular communication via gap junctions (GJ) on alternans in the intact heart remains unknown.

Objective

We assessed the effects of cell-to-cell coupling on local alternans in intact Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts, measuring single myocyte [Ca(2+)] alternans synchronization among neighboring cells, and effects of β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) activation and reduced GJ couplin

SUBMITTER: Hammer KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4500534 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature