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European Heart Journal 1992 13(Supplement D):9-16; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/13.suppl_D.9
Copyright © 1992 by the European Society of Cardiology.
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© 1992 The European Society of Cardiology

The reorganization of the human and rabbit heart in response to haemodynamic overload*

N. R. Alpert{dagger},, G. Hasenfuss{ddagger}, L. A. Mulieri{dagger}, E. M. Blanchard{dagger}, B. J. Leavitt§ and F. Ittleman§

{dagger} Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont, U.S.A.
§ Department of Surgery, University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont, U.S.A.
{ddagger} Division of Cardiology, University of Freiburg Frieburg, Germany

Address for correspondence: Norman R. Alpert, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, U.S.A.

A myothermal/mechanical analysis on non-failing and failing human hearts and normal and pressure overloaded rabbit hearts is reported. Heat production is partitioned into tension-dependent and tension-independent components together with force measurements to provide information about calcium and cross-bridge cycling. In the non-failing human heart the cross-bridge force-time integral is 0·51±0·06 (ns). This value is increased to 0·97±009 (P<0·05 s) in failing hearts. In control as compared to pressure-overload rabbit hearts the cross-bridge force-time integral increases from 0·36±0·02 to 0·96±0·11 (P<0·05 s). The increase in force-time integral allows the heart muscle to develop force with greater economy (less high energy phosphate hydrolysis) but at the expense of velocity and power. The amount of calcium cycled following activation in non-failing human hearts is 32·2±8·17 nmoles. g–1. -beat–1. In the failing preparations calcium cycling is reduced to 16·7± 1·72 nmoles. g–1. -beat–1. In pressure-overloaded hypertrophied, as compared with control rabbit hearts, the calcium cycled per beat is reduced from 43·0±7·3 to 17·6±3·4 nmoles. g–1. It is suggested that the alterations in cross-bridge cycling are more likely to be related to isoenzyme shifts in light chains or troponin T than to myosin isoforms. The calcium cycling changes are well correlated with changes in the sarcoplasmic reticular and sarcolemmal calcium transport proteins. The alterations in the contractile and excitation contractions coupling systems contribute to the functional changes observed in the failing human and pressure-overload rabbit hearts.

Key Words: Heart muscle • myocardial failure • heat production • calcium cycling • sarcolemmal calcium transport

Supported in part by Grant #USPHS PO1 28001-10.


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