• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.219-230
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• 1988

The effect of glycine, structurally the most simple amino acid was investigated on the electrophysiological characteristics of the isolated superfused atrial muscle and sinus node cells of the rabbit heart. Superfusion of the sinus node cell with glycine solution (3, 5 and 8 mM) produced concentration-dependent increments of OS (overshoot potential) and MDP (maximum diastolic potential). Generally action potential amplitude increased as a result of greater increment of OS than that of MDP. The changes in action potential of the sinus node cell peaked in $7{\sim}10{\;}minutes$ after onset of superfusioin. On the contrary to the response to intravenously administered glycine, the rate of spontaneous firing of sinus node cell was invariably increased following superfusion with glycine. Action potential duration manifested as $APD_{60}$ (time to 60% repolarization) was significantly shortened by glycine. And the electrophysiological effects of glycine on the atrial muscle cell were similar to that on the sinus node cells. The results of present study suggest that glycine can exert direct effects on the atrial muscle and sinus node cells of the rabbit heart.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.9-17
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• 1975

The adrenergic blocking activity and refractory period of cardiac muscle on isolated rabbit atria were measured after administration of Scutellaria. In rabbits and cats the antiarrhythmic action of Scutellaria on atrial and ventricular arrhythmias produced by epinephrine or ouabain was examined and also compared with that of propranolol and quinidine. The alcoholic extract of Scutellaria produced a marked decrease in heart rate and contractile amplitude of the isolated rabbit atria. Pretreatment with Scutellaria rendered the atria to fail to respond to epinephrine, indicating that this crude drug possesses an adrenergic blocking activity. The extract produced a marked prolongation of the refractory period of atrial muscle. The extract effectively abolished the spontaneous arrhythmia occurring in the isolated rabbit atria. As propranolol and quinidine it also suppressed the atrial arrhythmia induced by ouabain. The extract prevented, as propranolol and quinidine, the induction of ventricular arrhythmia arising from excessive dose of epinephrine in anesthetized rabbits and cats. With regard to the ventricular arrhythmia induced by a continuous infusion of ouabain, the alcoholic extract of Scutellaria exerted some suppressive effect in anesthetized rabbits but no effect on cats. From the above results, it may be concluded that Scutellaria is effective against atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. The antiarrhythmic effects of this drug may be the result of adrenergic beta receptor blocking and cardiac depressive activities including prolongation of the refractory period of cardiac muscle.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.2 s.20
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• pp.13-19
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• 1976

A fluid extract of Zizyphi Semen was employed in this experiment. The cardiac effects of Zizyphi Semen were examined on isolated rabbits atria and heart in situ of anesthetized cats and rabbits. The adrenergic blocking activity and refractory period of cardiac muscle were measured after administration of this drug. In rabbits and cats the antiarrhythmic action of Zizyphi Semen on atrial and ventricular arrhythmias produced by epinephrine or ouabain was examined. The results were following: 1. Zizyphi Semen produced a decrease in rate and contractile amplitude of the isolated rabbit atria and had a week blocking effect on epinephrine acceleration of atrial movement. 2. Zizyphi Semen effectively abolished the spontaneous arrhythmia occurring in the isolated rabbit atria ana the atrial arrhythmia induced by ouabain. 3. Zizyphi Semen produced a marked prolongation of the refractory period in isolated atrial muscle of rabbit. 4. Zizyphi Semen prevented the induction of ventricular arrhythmia arising from excessive dose of epinephrine in anesthetized rabbits and cats. 5. With regard to the ventricular arrhythmia induced by a continuous infusion of ouabain, Zizyphi Semen exerted suppressive effect and produced a marked prolongation of cardiac arrest time in anesthetized rabbits and cats. From the above results, it may be concluded that Zizyphi Semen is effective against atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. The antiarrhythmic effect of this drug may be the result of direct myocardial depressive and partially adrenergic beta receptor blocking activities including prolongation of the refractory period of cardiac muscle.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.291-299
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• 1989

Na and Ca effects on contracture were studied in order to estimate Na/Ca exchange ratio in the isolated atrial muscle of the rabbit. All experiments were performed in tris-buffered Tyrode solution which was being aerated with 100% $O_2\;and\;kept\;at\;37^{circ}C$. To load intracellular $Na^+,\;10{-6}M$ ouabain or K-free solution were used. Contractures were induced by brier exposure of atrial muscle to Tyrode solution containing various concentrations of Ca or of Na. The results obtained were as follows: 1 ) Increasing the extracellular Ca concentration, the amplitude of contracture also increased and was maximum at 8 mM Ca-Tyrode solution. 2) The relationship between extracellular Ca concentrations and relative amplitude of the contractures showed hyperbolic pattern. By using Hill plot, the line has the slope of 1 12 which means the number of Ca binding sites of the carrier in the cell membrane. 3) The amplitude of the contracture was maximum in 0 mM Na-Tyrode solution and decreased in dose dependent manner when the Na concentration increased. 4) When the relationship between extracellular Na concentrations and the amplitude of contractures was expressed as dose-response curve, the curve showed sigmoid pattern. The line with the slope of 2.82 was obtained by using Hill plot. 5) From above all the results, it is suggested that exchange ratio of Na and Ca via Na/ca exchange system in the atrial muscle of rabbit could be 3:1 approximately.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 1988

In order to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of intracellular calcium ion concentrations, contractions or contractures induced by $Na^{+}-removal$, calcium-application or ouabain-treatment as an index of $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange activity were studied in atrial muscle or vascular smooth muscle (aorta and renal artery) of the rabbit. The magnitude of low sodium contractures in atrial trabeculae increased with sigmoid shape when external sodium concentrations were reduced to sodium-free condition, whereas that of calcium contracture intensified in a parabolic pattern when external calcium concentrations were elevated to 8 mM. $Na^{+}-removal$ contractures were induced in a duration-dependent manner to $K^{+}-free$ exposure and same findings were observed with ouabain treatment. $Na^{+}-free$ contractures were not affected by verapamil treatment, but stimulated by $100{\mu}M\;Mn^{2+}$ and inhibited by high concentrations of $Mn^{2+}\;(2{\sim}8mM)$ in a dose-dependent manner. Ryanodine which is known to suppress the release of calcium from internal store abolished spontaneous twitch contractions induced by $K^{+}-free$ solution, but had no effect on the development $Na^{+}-free$ contractures. Na-free contractures were not always induced in vascular smooth muscle preparations. Contractures by $O\;mM\;Na^+$ were usually seen in aorta, but not often in renal artery.$50\;mM\;K^+$, noradrenaline (NA) and angiotensin II (AII) always evoked very large contraction in all preparations of vascular smooth muscle. Contractures developed by $O\;mM\;Na^+$ were not sensitive to verapamil treatment as in atrial trabeculae, but were abolished by $100{\mu}M\;Mn^{2+}$. In contrast to $Na^{+}-free$ contractures, $Mn^{2+}(100{\mu}M)$ had no effect on the contractures induced by NA or 50 mM$K^+$. Caffeine in the concentration of 10 mM evoked transient contracture in the distal renal artery. The rate of spontaneous relaxation in caffeine contracture was dependent upon the concentrations of external sodium, and had double component of relaxation when the rate of relaxation was plotted in the semilogarithmic scale of relative tension versus time. Especially late components of relaxation had more direct relation to $Na^+$ concentrations. It could be concluded that $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange mechanism in the heart has a large capacity, inhibited by $Mn^{2+}$ but not by verapamil and ryanodine, while $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange system in vascular smooth muscle has a very low capacity especially in small artery, inhibited by low concentration of $Mn^{2+}\;(100{\mu}M)$ but not affected by verapamil and ryanodine.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 1986

Since it was proposed that vanadate may be an ‘ideal endogenous regulator of the $Na^+,\;K^+-ATPase$ activity (Cantley et at, 1979), vanadate has been a subject of intensive research and a variety of its physiological effects have been described (Nechay, 1984). In isolated guinea pig heart muscle vanadate shows a positive inotropic effect on ventricular muscle, while it induces a negative inotropic effect on atrial muscle. But its underlying mechanism has not been elucidated so far. Therefore, in this study the flux rates of calcium ion into and from guinea pig heart muscle were measured to throw some light on the underlying mechanism, because those rates have been known to be closely related to the cardiac contractility and the results are summarized as follows: 1) Calcium efflux rates from the intracellular $Ca^{++}$ pool (compartment 4) of both guinea pig left atrium and right ventricle were significantly reduced by vanadate and their pool sizes were significantly increased by vanadate. 2) The magnitude of calcium influx into left atrium was reduced by vanadate, While the magnitude of calcium influx into right ventricle was not affected by vanadate. From these results, it may be concluded that the positive inotropic effect of vanadate on the ventricular muscle was due to a reduced efflux rate of calcium ion and its negative inotropic effect on atrial muscle was resulted from a reduced influx of calcium ion.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.339-350
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• 1989

Electrophysiological effects of ammonia was studied in the isolated superfused sinus node and atrial muscle cells of the rabbit heart. No significant changes were observed in the overshoot potential (05), maximum diastolic potential (MDP), and action potential amplitude (APA) of the sinus node cells following superfusion with 3.0 mM ammonia, fifty times upper limit of the normal human plasma level. However the action potential duration (APD) of sinus node cells were significantly prolonged after superfusion with 0.6 mM ammonia for 20 min or with 1.2 and 3.0 mM ammonia for 5 minutes. Ammonia in all the concentrations tested decreased the rate of spontaneous firing (RSF) from the sinus node cells. After superfusion of sinus node cells with 0.3 mM ammonia for 20 min, the RSF significantly decreased from 20 min to 25 min after onset of superfusion while a significant decrement in the RSF was observed from 7 min to 30 min following superfusion with 3.0 mM ammonia for S min. On the other hand, the effects of ammonia on the action potential of the rabbit atrial muscle cell were much similar to those on pacemaker cells except that the atrial cell was generally less sensitive to ammonia. The results suggest that ammonia may cause changes in the action potential of the rabbit cardiac cells by the direct action, and that the cardiac effects of ammonia are generally opposite to those of glycine.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.419-421
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• 2000

Noonan syndrome is characterized by typical facies, congenital heart defect, and some clinical features similar to Turner syndrome, but with normal chromosomes. The most commonly associated cardiac defects are pulmonary valvular stenosis and strial septal defect. We experienced a case of Nonan syndrome associated with pulmonay valve stenosis with double-chambered right ventricle and atrial septal defect and cryptorchidism. Pulmonary valvotomy was done through transannular incision. Hypertrophied muscle bundles were excised. Atrial septal defect was closed directly. RVOT was reconstructed with pericardial transannular patch. Orchiopexy was performed simultaneously without any problem.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.31-31
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• 2003

Cardiac atrium is now well-known as an endocrine organ which secretes atrial natriuretic peptide (AMP), participating in the regulation of body fluid and blood pressure. ANP is released mainly from cardiac muscle cells in response to various physiological and pathological conditions to induce atrial stretch. Ca$\^$2+/ may be one of the most important factors affecting ANP secretion even though controversy still persists. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) and moxonidine on atrial hemodynamics and ANP secretion in hypertrophied atria. LPC is an endogenous phospholipid released from cell membrane during ischemia, and moxonidine is a imidazoline 1 (Il) receptor agonoist.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 1996

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide(ANP) is a hormone with potent natriuretic, diuretic and relaxing properties of vascular smooth muscle. Specific chemical modulator responsible for the ANP secretion has not yet been found. Although atrial stretch of stretch-release is to be a major stimulus for the secretion of ANP, the precise mechano-molecular transduction mechanism responsible for its evoked secretion remains to be elucidated. It is interested to clarify the effect of superoxide anion in the stretch-induced ANP secretion. In order to investigate the effectg of $H_2O_2$ in the regulation of ANP secretion, a perfused model of left atrium of rats was used. The results obtained were as follows; 1. The ANP secretion and the extracellular fluid(ECF) translocation were accentuated by the effect of repetitive atrial distension-reduction volume at atrial pressure($4cmH_2O$). 2. The dilution curve showed to be in parallel between pure atriopeptin III (AP III) and perfusated buffer. 3. $H_2O_2(5{\times}10^{-4}M)$ accenturated a strectch-release induced increase of the ANP secretion. The amount of released ANP was significantly(p<0.01) increased. These results suggest that the superoxide anion may be involved in the regulatory mechanism of mechanically activated ANP release.