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Vitamin C Pretreatment Attenuates Hypoxia-Induced Disturbance of Sodium Currents in Guinea Pig Ventricular Myocytes

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Abstract

As an important in vivo antioxidant, vitamin C is commonly used clinically to alleviate hypoxia-induced heart symptoms. To approach the protective mechanisms of vitamin C on hearts during hypoxia, we investigated the electrophysiological effects of vitamin C (1 mM, pretreated before hypoxia) on Na+ currents (including transient and persistent Na+ currents) in guinea pig ventricular myocytes during hypoxia by the whole-cell and single-channel patch-clamp techniques. Whole-cell recordings showed that the mean current density of I NaT in the hypoxia group decreased from the control value of 40.2142 ± 1.7735 to 27.1663 ± 1.8441 pA/pF and current density of I NaP increased from 0.3987 ± 0.0474 to 1.1854 ± 01994 pA/pF (n = 9, P < 0.05 vs. control) at 15 min. However, when vitamin C was administered before hypoxia as pretreatment, I NaT and I NaP varied moderately (mean current density of I NaT decreasing from 41.6038 ± 2.9762 to 34.6341 ± 1.9651 pA/pF and current density of I NaP increasing from 0.3843 ± 0.0636 to 0.6734 ± 0.1057 pA/pF; n = 9, P < 0.05 vs. hypoxia group). Single-channel recordings (cell-patched) showed that the mean open probability and open time of I NaP increased significantly in both groups at hypoxia 15 min. However, the increased current values of the hypoxia group were still marked at hypoxia 15 min (n = 9, P < 0.05 vs. vitamin C + hypoxia group). Our results indicate that vitamin C can attenuate the disturbed effects of hypoxia on Na+ currents (I NaT and I NaP) of cardiac myocytes in guinea pigs effectively.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by grants from the Science Foundation of the Health Bureau of Hubei Province (JX2B72) and the Key Scientific Research Program of the Educational Bureau of Hubei Province (Z200511002).

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  1. Cardio-Electrophysiological Laboratory, Medical College, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China

    Hao Zhou, Ji-Hua Ma, Pei-Hua Zhang & An-Tao Luo

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  1. Hao Zhou
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  2. Ji-Hua Ma
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Correspondence to Ji-Hua Ma.

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Zhou, H., Ma, JH., Zhang, PH. et al. Vitamin C Pretreatment Attenuates Hypoxia-Induced Disturbance of Sodium Currents in Guinea Pig Ventricular Myocytes. J Membrane Biol 211, 81–87 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-005-7014-8

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