Experimental aspects of isolation of myocytes from adult guinea-pig hearts.

Ionic channels can now be effectively studied on enzymatically isolated cardiac myocytes by means of the patch clamp technique. Three procedures reported to give consistently high yields of Ca-tolerant myocytes were tested for applicability to calcium channel studies under our laboratory conditions. None of them was found to be suitable for direct use. Therefore, a modified method for isolation of myocytes from adult guinea-pig hearts was developed. Calcium channel currents measured in Ca-tolerant myocytes isolated by this procedure have been presented and problems of myocytes isolation and of patch-clamp measurement discussed.