Browsing by Subject "ventricular arrhythmias"

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    Progesterone pretreatment reduces the incidence of drug-induced torsades de pointes in atrioventricular node-ablated isolated perfused rabbit hearts
    (Wiley, 2019-04-21) Tisdale, James E.; Jaynes, Heather A.; Overholser, Brian R.; Sowinski, Kevin M.; Kovacs, Richard J.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction Higher progesterone concentrations are protective against drug-induced prolongation of ventricular repolarization. We tested the hypothesis that pretreatment with progesterone reduces the incidence of drug-induced torsades de pointes (TdP). Methods and results Female New Zealand white rabbits (2.5–3.2 kg) underwent ovariectomy and were randomized to undergo implantation with subcutaneous 21-day sustained release pellets containing progesterone 50 mg (n=22) or placebo (n=23). After 20 days, hearts were excised, mounted, and perfused with modified Krebs-Henseleit solution. The atrioventricular (AV) node was destroyed manually. Following a 15-minute equilibration period, hearts were perfused with dofetilide 100 nM for 30 minutes, during which the electrocardiogram was recorded continuously. Incidences of spontaneous TdP, other ventricular arrhythmias and mean QTc intervals were compared. Median serum progesterone concentrations were higher in progesterone versus placebo-treated rabbits [3.8 (range, 2.8–5.1) vs 0.7 (0.4–1.7) ng/mL, p<0.0001]. Median serum estradiol concentrations were similar [58 (22–72) versus 53 (34–62) pg/mL), p=0.79]. The incidence of TdP was lower in hearts from progesterone-treated rabbits (27% vs 61%, p=0.049). The incidences of bigeminy (36% vs 74%, p=0.03) and trigeminy (18% vs 57%, p=0.01) were also lower in hearts from progesterone-treated rabbits. There was no significant difference between groups in incidence of couplets (59% vs 74%, p=0.54) or monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (14% vs 30%, p=0.28). Maximum QTc interval and short term beat-to-beat QT interval variability during dofetilide perfusion were significantly shorter in hearts from progesterone-treated rabbits. Conclusions Pretreatment with progesterone reduces the incidence of drug-induced TdP, bigeminy and trigeminy in isolated, perfused AV node-ablated rabbit hearts.
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    Sex‐specific activation of SK current by isoproterenol facilitates action potential triangulation and arrhythmogenesis in rabbit ventricles
    (Wiley, 2018) Chen, Mu; Yin, Dechun; Guo, Shuai; Xu, Dong-Zhu; Wang, Zhuo; Chen, Zhenhui; Rubart-von der Lohe, Michael; Lin, Shien-Fong; Everett, Thomas H., IV; Weiss, James N.; Chen, Peng-Sheng; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Sex has a large influence on cardiac electrophysiological properties. Whether sex differences exist in apamin‐sensitive small conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (SK) current (IKAS) remains unknown. We performed optical mapping, transmembrane potential, patch clamp, western blot and immunostaining in 62 normal rabbit ventricles, including 32 females and 30 males. IKAS blockade by apamin only minimally prolonged action potential (AP) duration (APD) in the basal condition for both sexes, but significantly prolonged APD in the presence of isoproterenol in females. Apamin prolonged APD at the level of 25% repolarization (APD25) more prominently than APD at the level of 80% repolarization (APD80), consequently reversing isoproterenol‐induced AP triangulation in females. In comparison, apamin prolonged APD to a significantly lesser extent in males and failed to restore the AP plateau during isoproterenol infusion. IKAS in males did not respond to the L‐type calcium current agonist BayK8644, but was amplified by the casein kinase 2 (CK2) inhibitor 4,5,6,7‐tetrabromobenzotriazole. In addition, whole‐cell outward IKAS densities in ventricular cardiomyocytes were significantly larger in females than in males. SK channel subtype 2 (SK2) protein expression was higher and the CK2/SK2 ratio was lower in females than in males. IKAS activation in females induced negative intracellular Ca2+–voltage coupling, promoted electromechanically discordant phase 2 repolarization alternans and facilitated ventricular fibrillation (VF). Apamin eliminated the negative Ca2+–voltage coupling, attenuated alternans and reduced VF inducibility, phase singularities and dominant frequencies in females, but not in males. We conclude that β‐adrenergic stimulation activates ventricular IKAS in females to a much greater extent than in males. IKAS activation plays an important role in ventricular arrhythmogenesis in females during sympathetic stimulation.