Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To establish whether the therapeutic agents ursodeoxycholic acid and dexamethasone protect cardiomyocytes from taurocholate-induced arrhythmias in an in vitro model.
DESIGN: Laboratory study.
SETTING: Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus.
SAMPLE: Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.
METHODS: Using scanning ion conductance microscopy, we measured the rate, rhythm, amplitude of contraction and calcium dynamics of ventricular myocytes from one to two day old rats. Cells were pre-incubated for 16 hours in dexamethasone (80 or 800 nM) or 0.1 mM ursodeoxycholic acid before adding taurocholate at different concentrations (0.3-4.5 mM).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in rate and amplitude of contraction, calcium dynamics and rhythm.
RESULTS: Taurocholate at concentrations of up to 3 mM induces abnormal changes including reductions in rate, amplitude of contraction, abnormal calcium dynamics and dysrhythmias. Although dexamethasone had no immediate protective effect on these changes, pre-incubation with dexamethasone was protective. Ursodeoxycholic acid pre-incubation was protective at taurocholate concentrations up to 1 mM.
CONCLUSION: The therapeutic agents dexamethasone and ursodeoxycholic acid appear protective against the arrhythmogenic effect of taurocholate on cardiomyocytes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 467-74 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | BJOG |
| Volume | 110 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - May 2003 |
Keywords
- Animals
- Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac
- Cholagogues and Choleretics
- Dexamethasone
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Myocardial Contraction
- Myocardium
- Rats
- Taurocholic Acid
- Ursodeoxycholic Acid