Effects of in vivo manganese administration on calcium exchange and contractile force of rat ventricular myocardium

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of prolonged (14 days) intragastric administration of Mn2+ (0.25 mmol/kg daily) on Ca2+ exchange and contractility of rat ventricular myocardium. Left-ventricular pressure and its first derivative (dP/dt) were recorded by means of a balloon catheter inserted via the left atrium into the left ventricle of the rat heart perfused by Langendorff method. Ca2+ exchange in the stimulated and rested ventricular myocardium was investigated with the aid of 45Ca under the conditions of complete equilibration of preparations with a solution containing 45Ca2+. The "cellular" 45Ca2+ content was calculated by subtraction of 45Ca2+ dissolved in the free water of extracellular space from the total tissue 45Ca2+ content. The cellular 45Ca2+ content in the stimulated (60/min) ventricles of control rats (without Mn2+) was 0.83 +/- 0.09 mmol/kg wet weight (w.w.). Ten minutes of rest resulted in a gain of 0.06 mmol 45Ca/kg w.w. (not statistically significant). Fourteen days' exposure to Mn2+ resulted in an increase of the mean 45Ca content to 1.61 +/- 0.09 mmol/kg w.w. in the stimulated preparations and to 1.35 +/- 0.06 mmol/kg w.w. in the rested ones (p less than 0.001). Thus, the control rest preparations did not change their Ca2+ content, while in the rats treated with Mn2+ the rest resulted in an increase at exchangeable Ca by 52%. The maximal ventricular developed pressure (Pmax) after 14 days of Mn2+ administration was increased by 35% and dP/dtmax was 228% of the value in the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)