|
|
||||||||
Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Although intracellular calcium
([Ca2+]i) transients in cardiac cells have
been well studied in the uniformly polarized cell membrane, how these
transients are modified during field stimulation when the cell membrane
is nonuniformly polarized has not been investigated. In this study we
characterized the effects of uniform field stimuli on
[Ca2+]i transients in isolated guinea pig
cardiac cells. Single guinea pig cells were enzymatically isolated,
loaded with the [Ca2+]i fluorescent indicator
fluo-3, and stimulated along their longitudinal axes with S1 or S1-S2
(S1-S2 = 50 ms) pulses. The fluorescence signals were recorded
simultaneously from up to 12 sites along the cell length using a
multisite mapping system. S1 pulse, applied during the resting phase of
the action potential, induced [Ca2+]i
transients that had an earlier onset at the anodal-facing end, suggesting that [Ca2+]i gradients
(
[Ca2+]i) develop during the rising phase
of the [Ca2+]i transients. With the
assumption that the peak change in [Ca2+]i is
980 nM,
[Ca2+]i was estimated to be ~3.4
nM/µm in the anodal half of the cell for a nominal 10 V/cm field and
negligible in the cathodal half. The S2 pulse that was applied during
the plateau of the action potential also perturbed the
[Ca2+]i transients and produced
[Ca2+]i gradients directed from the center to
either end of the cell. Mean
[Ca2+]i in
the anodal half of the cell (~4.2 nM/µm) was found to be statistically higher than in the cathodal half (~2.8 nM/µm).
cardiac electrophysiology; fluo-3; optical mapping; guinea pig
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. Bokenes, I. Sjaastad, and O. M. Sejersted Artifactual contractions triggered by field stimulation of cardiomyocytes J Appl Physiol, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 1712 - 1719. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Ashihara and N. A. Trayanova Cell and tissue responses to electric shocks Europace, January 1, 2005; 7(s2): S155 - S165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
V. Sharma and L. Tung Spatial heterogeneity of transmembrane potential responses of single guinea-pig cardiac cells during electric field stimulation J. Physiol., July 15, 2002; 542(2): 477 - 492. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |