The effect of the nitric oxide (NO) donor SIN-1 (3-morpholino-sydnonimine) on the calcium current (ICa) was examined in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. SIN-1 had little effect on basal ICa. After moderate stimulation of ICa with 10 nM isoproterenol (ISO), 10 microM SIN-1 caused either stimulation or inhibition of ICa; 100 microM SIN-1 consistently caused inhibition. SIN-1 (1-100 microM) inhibited ICa equally following considerable enhancement of ICa by either 1 microM ISO or 100 microM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, a nonspecific phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor. SIN-1 (100 microM) also inhibited ICa equally following enhancement by either 10 microM pipette adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) or hydrolysis-resistant 8-bromo-cAMP. Thus the inhibitory effect of SIN-1 appears independent of PDEs. Addition of LY-83583 (a blocker of guanylate cyclase) to the pipette or superfusion with KT-5823 [a blocker of the guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase] suppressed the inhibitory effect of SIN-1. We conclude that NO is an important modulator of beta-adrenergic effects on ICa and that the mechanism of NO inhibition of ICa in mammalian cardiac cells involves the cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

The rat ventricular action potential shortens after birth. The contribution of increases in the transient outward current (Ito) to postnatal action potential shortening was assessed by measuring Ito in isolated cells and by determining the effect of 2 mM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on the action potentials of papillary muscles. 4-AP had no effect on 1-day action potential duration at 25% repolarization (APD25), and 1-day cells had little Ito. In 8- to 10-day muscles, 4-AP caused a small, but significant, increase in APD25. Ito increased slightly between day 1 and days 8-10, but this increase was not significant. Most of the increase in Ito (79%) and in the response to 4-AP (64%) occurred between days 8-10 and adult; however, approximately 75% of the APD25 shortening took place by days 8-10. Thus, while Ito may contribute to repolarization in late neonatal and adult cells, the different time courses of action potential shortening and increases in Ito suggest that changes in Ito are unlikely to be responsible for most of the postnatal action potential shortening.

No abstract