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Sex differences in myocardial contractility in the rat

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Summary

We examined the intrinsic contractile performance of papillary muscles removed from the left ventricle of male and female Wistar rats. Muscles were studied isometrically and isotonically, stimulated at 0.1 Hz, perfused with Tyrode's solution having an external calcium concentration=2.4 and maintained at 30°C. In addition, we examined muscle response to changes in external calcium, added norepinephrine or verapamil and alterations in contraction frequency. No significant change in peak isometric development tension was observed between male and female preparations. However, muscles from male rats showed a significantly greater isometric time-to-peak tension and time to 1/2 relaxation with a depression of both the maximum rate of tension rise and maximum rate of tension decay. Isotonically, although peak shortening showed no difference between male and female preparations, the maximum velocities of shortening and relaxation were significantly depressed in muscles from male rats. Muscles from male animals also displayed significant prolongation of the time-to-peak shortening and time-to-peak velocity of shortening. These differences in papillary muscle performance were found over a wide range of muscle lengths, stimulus frequencies and bath concentrations of calcium, norepinephrine and verapamil. Thus differences in intrinsic contractile performance between papillary muscle from male and female rats have been characterized.

Zusammenfassung

Wir untersuchten die kontraktilen Eigenschaften linksventrikulärer Papillarmuskeln von männlichen und weiblichen Wistar-Ratten unter isometrischen und isotonische Bedingungen bei einer Reizfrequenz von 0,1 Hz und Perfusion mit Tyrodelösung (Ca2+ 2,4 mmol/l, 30°C). Weiterhin untersuchten wir die Antwort der Muskeln auf Änderungen der Ca2+-Außenkonzentration, Verabfolgung von Noradrenalin oder Verapamil sowie Änderungen der Kontraktionsfrequenz. Die Präparate von männlichen und weiblichen Tieren unterschieden sich nicht bezüglich der entwickelten isometrischen Spitzenspannung. Jedoch zeigten die Muskeln von männlichen Ratten eine signifikant längere isometrische Anstiegszeit; auch die Halbwertszeit der Erschlaffung war verlängert, die maximale Anstiegsgeschwindigkeit und Erschlaffungsgeschwindigkeit herabgesetzt. Obwohl unter isotonischen Bedingungen keine Unterschiede bezüglich der maximalen Verkürzung vorlagen, war die Maximalgeschwindigkeit der Verkürzung und Relaxation bei Muskeln von männlichen Ratten signifikant geringer. Auch unter isotonischen Bedingungen wurden die maximale Verkürzung sowie die maximale Verkürzungsgeschwindigkeit später erreicht. Diese Unterschiede in der Mechanik der Papillarmuskeln wurden über einen weiten Bereich der Vordehnung, der Reizfrequenz und Ca-Außenkonzentration sowie auch unter Noradrenalin und Verapamil verzeichnet. Es konnten also geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede in den kontraktilen Grundeigenschaften der Papillarmuskeln nachgewiesen werden.

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Author notes

  1. J. M. Capasso Ph.D.

    Present address: Cardiovascular Research Laboratories, Division of Cardiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Forchheimer Building-Rm. G41, 10461, New York, N.Y.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Research Laboratories, Division of Cardiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Forchheimer Building-Rm. G41, 10461, New York, N.Y.

    R. M. Remily, R. H. Smith & E. H. Sonnenlick

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  1. J. M. Capasso Ph.D.
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  2. R. M. Remily
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  3. R. H. Smith
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  4. E. H. Sonnenlick
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Additional information

Supported in part by NIH grants #HL 21933-02, #HL 07071-05 and a Herman Raucher Investigatorship Award of the New York Heart Association to Dr. J. M. Capasso.

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Capasso, J.M., Remily, R.M., Smith, R.H. et al. Sex differences in myocardial contractility in the rat. Basic Res Cardiol 78, 156–171 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01906669

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