Intracellular calcium and electrogram in ischemic isolated rat heart.

The electrogram (EG) of the isolated rat heart during ischemic or anoxic perfusion has been studied. Reduction of the coronary flow rate (CFR) induced an increase of voltage (V) both in unipolar epicardial EG and in transmural bipolar EG. The V increase did not occur during anoxic perfusin. The ischemic increase cannot be due to a disturbance in the His-Purkinje or intraventricular conduction because it was observed also in the circumscribed myocardial area, which was explored by means of the transmural bipolar EG. Likewise it cannot be due to an intramural block because it occurs before one observes an augmentation of epicardial activation time or a decrease of dV/dtmax. Therefore, the ischemic V increase should be due to a modification of transmembrane potential. The variation rate of V, of dP/dt, and of myocardial ATP behaved in a similar way during underperfusion. Varying intracellular Ca2+ by means of a Ca2+-free medium or verapamil reduces the ischemic V increase. The dynamics of the ischemic V increase may be represented in order of succession by: inhibition of oxidative metabolism, augmentation of intracellular Ca2+, increase of K+ conductance, and hyperpolarization of cardiac cells.