Submitted on April 20, 2007
Accepted on May 14, 2007
A Method to Collect Isolated Myocytes and Whole Tissue from the Same Heart
Yue-Feng Chen1, Suleman Said2, Scott E. Campbell3, and Anthony Martin Gerdes4*
1 Sanford Research/University of South Dakota, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
2 Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States; Sanford Research/University of South Dakota, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
3 American Diabetes Association, Alexandria, Virginia, United States
4 Cardiovascular Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States; Sanford Research/University of South Dakota, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mgerdes{at}usd.edu.
A technique for isolation of cardiac myocytes and collection of whole heart tissue from individual hearts of adult rats is described in this study. Following excision of the apical half of the left ventricle (LV) and cauterization of the cut edge, aortas were cannulated and high quality isolated cardiac myocytes were collected after collagenase perfusion of the basal portion. Myocyte dimensions from the basal portion of cauterized and non-cauterized hearts from matching rats were identical. Additionally, myocyte dimensions from the basal and apical halves of the LV were compared using whole heart isolated myocyte preps. No regional differences between basal and apical LV myocyte size were found. Therefore, this cauterization method can be used to collect isolated myocytes from the basal half and whole heart tissue from the apical half with each half being representative of the other with respect to myocyte dimensions.
