Isolated viable rat cardiac myocytes as a tool for evaluating histochemical methods for diagnosis of myocardial ischemia. I. Mitochondria-bound oxidoreductases--a preliminary report.

A pilot study has been performed to evaluate the usefulness of isolated viable rat cardiac myocytes in the evaluation of histochemical oxidoreductase methods for estimating cellular anoxic damage. Data are presented in support of the use of succinate dehydrogenase and beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase for evaluating different degrees of cellular damage. It appears that upon anoxia biochemical signs of membrane leakage do occur earlier than positive histochemical reactions. However, trypan blue staining occurs at a later time point. Probably the histochemical reaction-rates are limited by the penetration of both the substrate and the electron acceptor, in this case nitro blue tetrazolium, into the cells and the mitochondria.