Characterization of contractions in enzymatically isolated rat ventricular myocytes: effects of ouabain and rubidium.

The role of sarcolemma and especially sodium pump activity in the control of phasic contractile activity of Ca2+ tolerant myocytes was studied using ouabain and rubidium as sodium pump inhibitors. Initially, ouabain increased both the amplitude of shortening and the frequency of phasic contractions. Later, the amplitude began to decline whereas the frequency of beating continued to rise, often terminating in a steady contracture of the myocyte. Rubidium caused a rapid rise of beating frequency, which reached its full effect within 1-5 min and remained steady after that. The stimulation of contraction frequency and the inhibition of Na+-K+ ATPase were correlated in the case of ouabain but not in the case of rubidium. The results suggest that the stimulation of phasic contractions may be caused by increased uptake of cellular calcium through Na+-Ca+ exchange as a consequence of sodium pump inhibition and (or) depolarization of the sarcolemma by ouabain and rubidium.