Inotropic effect of NCX inhibition depends on the relative activity of the reverse NCX assessed by a novel inhibitor ORM-10962 on canine ventricular myocytes.

Na/Ca exchanger (NCX) is the main Ca transporter in cardiac myocytes. Its inhibition could be expected to exert positive inotropic action by accumulation of cytosolic Ca ([Ca]). However, we have observed only a marginal positive inotropic effect upon selective inhibition of NCX, which was enhanced when forward activity was facilitated.

Selective Na(+) /Ca(2+) exchanger inhibition prevents Ca(2+) overload-induced triggered arrhythmias.

Background And Purpose: Augmented Na(+) /Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) activity may play a crucial role in cardiac arrhythmogenesis; however, data regarding the anti-arrhythmic efficacy of NCX inhibition are debatable. Feasible explanations could be the unsatisfactory selectivity of NCX inhibitors and/or the dependence of the experimental model on the degree of Ca(2+) i overload. Hence, we used NCX inhibitors SEA0400 and the more selective ORM10103 to evaluate the efficacy of NCX inhibition against arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) i rise in conditions when [Ca(2+) ]i was augmented via activation of the late sodium current (INaL ) or inhibition of the Na(+) /K(+) pump.

Efficacy of selective NCX inhibition by ORM-10103 during simulated ischemia/reperfusion.

In this study we evaluated the effects of selective Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) inhibition by ORM-10103 on the [Ca2+]i transient (CaT), action potential (AP), and cell viability in isolated canine ventricular cardiomyocytes exposed to a simulated ischemia/reperfusion protocol performed either alone (modeling moderate low-flow ischemia) or with simultaneous strophantidine challenge (modeling more severe low-flow ischemia). CaTs were monitored using a Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dye, APs were recorded by intracellular microelectrodes, and anaerobic shifts in cellular metabolism were verified via monitoring native NADH fluorescence. Simulated ischemia increased the NADH fluorescence, reduced the amplitudes of the AP and CaT and induced membrane depolarization.

[Ca²⁺] i-induced augmentation of the inward rectifier potassium current (IK1) in canine and human ventricular myocardium.

The inward rectifier K⁺ current (IK1) plays an important role in terminal repolarization and stabilization of the resting potential in cardiac cells. Although IK1 was shown to be sensitive to changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]i), the nature of this Ca²⁺ sensitivity-in spite of its deep influence on action potential morphology-is controversial. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of a nonadrenergic rise in [Ca²⁺]i on the amplitude of IK1 in canine and human ventricular myocardium and its consequences on cardiac repolarization.