Effects of hypoxia, acidosis, and simulated ischemia on repriming of caffeine contracture in rat myocardium.

This study was designed to examine the effects of hypoxia, acidosis, glucose-free medium and their combination on contraction and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) function in rat ventricular trabeculae. The isometric twitch tension was measured during superfusion with hypoxic (PO2 less than 30 mmHg), acidic (pH 6.80), glucose-free, or their combined ("ischemic") Tyrode's solution at 20 degrees C. The time needed to fully recover the contraction induced by 10 mM caffeine (repriming time) was measured to indirectly estimate the Ca2+ uptake of the SR. In "ischemia" and acidosis, the peak developed tension decreased progressively for the first 30 min (37.6 +/- 9.2% and 56.6 +/- 8.4% of control at 30 min, respectively), and then became steady. In hypoxic solution, the peak developed tension decreased moderately for the first 30 min (86.8 +/- 4.8% of control at 30 min), and thereafter remained steady. Developed tension did not change significantly during 60 min of superfusion with glucose-free solution. The repriming time of caffeine contraction was significantly delayed in both "ischemic" and hypoxic solutions, but was unchanged in acidic and glucose-free solutions. These results lead us to suggest that depressed SR function to accumulate Ca2+ may contribute to the decline in tension in ischemia and hypoxia, but that other mechanisms are important in the tension decline induced by acidosis.