The non-neuronal heart's acetylcholine in health and disease.

In this review we describe the history of almost one century lasting investigations which eventually provided evidence convincing that cardiac myocytes possess all elements of the system of synthesis, intracellular transport and release of acetylcholine (ACh) independent of parasympathetic cholinergic innervation. The myocytes synthesis and release of ACh is tightly connected with their contractile activity. Moreover, it is necessary for maintaining the balance of autonomic control of the heart, particularly important in the heart failure.

Ivabradine protects against ventricular arrhythmias in acute myocardial infarction in the rat.

Ventricular arrhythmias are an important cause of mortality in the acute myocardial infarction (MI). To elucidate effect of ivabradine, pure heart rate (HR) reducing drug, on ventricular arrhythmias within 24 h after non-reperfused MI in the rat. ECG was recorded for 24 h after MI in untreated and ivabradine treated rats and episodes of ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) were identified.

Preserved cardiomyocyte function and altered desmin pattern in transgenic mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Taking advantage of the unique model of slowly developing dilated cardiomyopathy in mice with cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic overexpression of activated Gαq protein (Tgαq*44 mice) we analyzed the contribution of the cardiomyocyte malfunction, fibrosis and cytoskeleton remodeling to the development of heart failure in this model. Left ventricular (LV) in vivo function, myocardial fibrosis, cytoskeletal proteins expression and distribution, Ca(2+) handling and contractile function of isolated cardiomyocytes were evaluated at the stages of the early, compensated, and late, decompensated heart failure in 4-, 12- and 14-month-old Tgαq*44 mice, respectively, and compared to age-matched wild-type FVB mice. In the 4-month-old Tgαq*44 mice significant myocardial fibrosis, moderate myocyte hypertrophy and increased expression of regularly arranged and homogenously distributed desmin accompanied by increased phosphorylation of desmin chaperone protein, αB-crystallin, were found.