The effects of a 15-min coronary occlusion and subsequent reperfusion were investigated in conscious dogs previously instrumented for measurement of left ventricular pressure, dP/dt, regional wall thickening, electrograms, and myocardial blood flow. Coronary occlussion reduced overall left ventricular function only slightly but eliminated systolic wall thickening in the ischemic zone and reduced regional myocardial blood flow in the ischemic zone from 1.04 +/- 0.04 to 0.27 +/- 0.02 ml/min per g and the endo/epi flow ratio from 1.23 +/- 0.04 to 0.44 +/- 0.04, while S-T segment elevation increased from 1.1 +/- 0.3 to 8.2 +/- 0.9 mV. After release of the occlusion, S-T segment elevation disappeared within 1 min while reactive hyperemia in the previously occluded artery and a transient increase in cardiac diastolic wall thickness occurred and then subsided by 15 min. In contrast, systolic wall thickening and the endo/epi flow ratio remained significantly depressed for more than 3 h. Thus reperfusion after a 15 minute coronary occlusion results in a prolonged period of reduced regional myocardial blood flow, particularly in the endocardial layers, which correlates with the prolonged depression of regional myocardial shortening and wall thickening.

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The relaxation effects of endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine, histamine) and endothelium-independent (nitroprusside, nitrite) relaxing substances were comparatively examined on contracted thoracic aortic rings from normotensive and experimental renal and desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive Wistar rats. On the aorta preparations from hypertensive animals a highly significant depression of the maximal relaxation effect of histamine and acetylcholine was observed. This was not seen with nitroprusside and nitrite. By use of a bioassay technique it was demonstrated that the depression of the endothelium-mediated response is not due to a diminished release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Impaired coupling between the endothelium and the smooth muscle cells is suggested to be responsible for that depression.

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The influence of the surface pH (pHs) on the intracellular pH (pHi) and the recovery of pHi after an imposed intracellular acid load was investigated in isolated sheep cardiac Purkinje fiber, rabbit papillary muscle, and mouse and rat soleus muscle. pHs and pHi, respectively, were continuously measured by use of single- and double-barreled pH-sensitive glass microelectrodes. Surface acidosis, usually obtained by superfusion with solutions of acid pH, was also produced with low buffered (5 mM N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethane-sulfonic acid) solutions at control pH. The pHs decrease (delta pHs) induced by low buffering was smallest (-0.08 pH unit) in Purkinje fiber and largest (-0.31 pH unit) in rat soleus muscle, which already had a more acid surface in control conditions. delta pHs was somewhat dependent on the superfusion rate. Higher superfusion rates decreased but did not abolish delta pHs. Surface acidosis was associated with a small intracellular acidification. Intracellular acid loads were produced by adding and subsequently withdrawing 20 meq/l NH4+ from the superfusate. In all preparations, the rate of recovery of pHi after NH4+ withdrawal was notably decreased at acidified pHs. This effect was amiloride sensitive. It is concluded that, in superfused multi-cellular preparations, pHs and therefore the buffer concentration of a superfusate can considerably influence steady-state pHi and pHi recovery from an imposed intracellular acid load.