Surface morphology of isolated cardiac myocytes from hypertrophied hearts of aging spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Morphologic features of the cell surface were studied in isolated cardiac myocytes obtained from 12 and 48 week old Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) control rats. Hearts obtained from ether-anesthetized animals were perfused with Ca++-free Hanks' solution containing EGTA and 0.1% collagenase. The hearts were minced and the suspended cells fixed in 2% phosphate buffered glutaraldehyde. Cells mounted on Nuclepore membrane filters were dehydrated in alcohol and critical point dried for SEM. Quantitative evaluation of myocyte length, width and volume was done with a sonic digitizer on H and E stained cells by light microscopy. At both ages studied there was a significant increase in heart weight to body weight ratio, systolic blood pressure and cell size in SHR compared to WKY controls. In the older animals there appeared to be increased numbers of cell junction areas and deep grooves in the cell surface which appeared more pronounced in SHR than in WKY. The cell surface of the myocytes from 48 week old animals had deep capillary grooves surrounded by protruding longitudinal bundles of myofibrils. These changes would result in increased surface area of the larger cells and diminish the effect of increased cell size on diffusion distance from capillary to tissue. These changes in cell morphology were interpreted as providing a protective effect against development of functional impairment in the hypertrophied hearts.