Hypothermia increases calcium content of hypoxic myocytes.

To test the hypothesis that hypothermia prevents myocardial Ca2+ loading during reoxygenation, we examined the effects of 2 h of hypoxia with and without hypothermia on the Ca2+ content of cultured chick embryo ventricular cells. When compared with hypoxic cells at 37 degrees C, hypoxia at 11 degrees C (hypothermia) augmented the 45Ca content of cardiocytes after 30 min of normothermic reoxygenation from 3.85 +/- 0.2 to 4.7 +/- 0.1 nmol/mg protein (P less than 0.001). The Na+ content of hypoxic myocytes was also increased at the end of 2 h of hypoxia from 648 +/- 59 to 1,026 +/- 68 nmol/mg protein in cells exposed to hypoxia at 11 degrees C (P less than 0.001). Hypothermia ameliorated hypoxia-induced depression of cellular ATP content and did not result in significant membrane injury as determined by lactate dehydrogenase release. These data indicate that hypothermia augments rather than decreases the Ca2+ content of hypoxic myocytes during reoxygenation after hypoxia. Ca2+ loading appears to be secondary to an increase in Na+ content, creating a favorable gradient for Ca2+ influx through Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange or an unfavorable gradient for Ca2+ extrusion.