[Effects of pretreatment with isoprenaline and conditions of perfusion on the specific radioactivity of ATP in rat heart].

14C adenine was supplied to isolated Rat heart retrograde perfused. The experiment was continued by aortic or atrial perfusion and the evolution of the specific radioactivity of ATP was estimated. Aortic perfusion did not reduce ATP content and the specific radioactivity decreased, expressing the turnover of adenine nucleotides. On the contrary, working heart perfusion provoked a breakdown of ATP and an increase of ATP specific radioactivity. When myocardial ATP was decreased prior to the perfusion with isoproterenol, the incorporation of 14C adenine was enhanced, a further aortic perfusion induced a greater decrease of ATP specific activity than in controls. Atrial perfusion did not change the concentration and the specific activity of ATP. These data seem to provide experimental evidences for a compartmentalization of myocardial ATP.