Relationship between mechanical dysfunction and depression of sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-pump activity in hearts perfused with oxygen free radicals.

Although in vitro studies have shown that oxygen free radicals depress the sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-pump activity and thereby may cause the occurrence of intracellular Ca2+ overload for the genesis of contractile failure, the exact relationship between changes in sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-pump activity and cardiac function due to these radicals is not clear. In this study we examined the effects of oxygen radicals on sarcolemmal Ca2+ uptake and Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activities as well as contractile force development by employing isolated rat heart preparations. When hearts were perfused with medium containing xanthine plus xanthine oxidase, the sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-stimulated ATPase activity and ATP-dependent Ca2+ accumulation were depressed within 1 min whereas the developed contractile force, rate of contraction and rate of relaxation were increased at 1 min and decreased over 3-20 min of perfusion. The resting tension started increasing at 2 min of perfusion with xanthine plus xanthine oxidase. Catalase showed protective effects against these alterations in heart function and sarcolemmal Ca(2+)-pump activities upon perfusion with xanthine plus xanthine oxidase whereas superoxide dismutase did not exert such effects. The combination of catalase and superoxide dismutase did not produce greater effects in comparison to catalase alone. These results are consistent with the view that the depression of heart sarcolemmal Ca2+ pump activities may result in myocardial dysfunction due to the formation of hydrogen peroxide and/or hydroxyl radicals upon perfusing the hearts with xanthine plus xanthine oxidase.