Ce. Zaugg et al., INTRACELLULAR CA2-FIBRILLATION IN SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS( HANDLING AND VULNERABILITY TO VENTRICULAR), Hypertension, 30(3), 1997, pp. 461-467
Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with ventricular hypertrophy sho
w an increased vulnerability for the development of potentially lethal
ventricular arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation (VF). The me
chanisms of this increased vulnerability are not fully understood but
may be related to abnormal intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+](i)) handling und
er stress conditions. We therefore investigated whether [Ca2+](i) hand
ling is abnormal in hypertrophied hearts of SHR without heart failure
during stimulation stress, and if so whether abnormal [Ca2+](i) handli
ng is a determinant of the increased vulnerability to VF in SHR. [Ca2](i) was measured by indo-1 surface fluorescence in perfused hearts of
8- to 10-month-old control Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and age-matched SH
R. The state of [Ca2+](i) handling was analyzed during three different
forms of stimulation stress: rapid pacing, the long rest period after
cessation of rapid pacing, and preprogrammed ventricular stimulation
that was simultaneously used for the determination of VF threshold. Th
e pulse number VF threshold was used as an index to determine vulnerab
ility to VF and to analyze the relationship of [Ca2+](i) handling to v
ulnerability. Although VF thresholds were lower in SHR than in WKY, we
found that both demonstrated similar [Ca2+]i handling during stimulat
ion stress. The extent and rate of [Ca2+](i) accumulation during rapid
pacing and those of the [Ca2+](i) decline after cessation of pacing w
ere similar in SHR and WKY. In addition, the relationship between [Ca2
+](i) and VF threshold was unaltered in SHR. Thus, we conclude that [C
a2+](i) handling is normal in hypertrophied hearts of SHR without hear
t failure during stimulation stress and that it is not a determinant o
f the increased vulnerability to VF in SHR.