OBJECTIVEOn the basis that pinacidil can produce an "all or none" repolarization in right ventricular wall of canine, to observe the effects of quinidine on the marked transmural dispersion of repolarization. Recent studies have shown that ventricular myocardium is composed of at least 3 electrophysiological distinct cell types: epicardial, endocardial, and midcardial cells. Differences in the response of the 3 cell types to pharmacologic agents and/or pathophysiological states often result in amplification of intrinsic electrical heterogeneities, thus providing a substrate as well as a trigger for the development of arrhythmias. The study was designed to observe the right ventricular transmural heterogeneity in vitro canine heart tissue preparation level.

METHODSThe strips were isolated from the anterior wall of the right ventricular of canine. The preparations perfused with oxygenated (95%O(2)/5%CO(2)) Tyrode's solution. The tissues were stimulated at basic cycle lengths of 1000 ms. Standard microelectrode techniques were used. Transmembrane action potentials were recorded from epicardial, midcardial and endocardial cells respectively from right ventricular free wall of canine on different conditions [perusing with Tyrode's solution (Control), pinacidil (2.5 micromol/L), and quinidine (5 micromol/L) in turn].

RESULTSCompared with that of endocardial cells, the action potentials of canine ventricular epicardial and midcardial cells had more obvious spike and dome morphology. Pinacidil (2.5 micromol/L) caused a loss of the dome of transmembrane action potentials and a marked abbreviation of the action potential duration (APD) in right ventricular epicardial and midcardial cells, especially in epicardial cells, but not in endocardial cells (n = 10). With pinacidil (2.5 micromol/L), in epicardial cells, phase 2 amplitude of action potentials decreased from (117.7 +/- 9.3) mV to (71.3 +/- 6.4) mV (P < 0.01), and 90% of the APD(90) decreased from (198.2 +/- 20.8) ms to (103.9 +/- 13.5) ms (P < 0.01). The transmural dispersion of action potential duration increased from (48.5 +/- 9.2) ms to (128.7 +/- 13.5) ms (P < 0.01). Quinidine (5 micromol/L) effectively prolonged the APD abbreviated by pinacidil, restored or partly restored the dome of transmembrane action potentials of epicardial and midcardial cells but not of endocardial cells (n = 10). In epicardial cells phase 2 amplitude increased from (71.3 +/- 6.4) mV to (106.6 +/- 7.7) mV (P < 0.01), and 90% of the APD(90) increased from (103.9 +/- 13.5) ms to (185.9 +/- 15.7) ms (P < 0.01). The transmural dispersion of action potential duration significantly decreased from (128.7 +/- 13.5) ms to (54.3 +/- 10.8) ms (P < 0.01). Quinidine reduced pinacidil-induced transmural dispersion of phase 2 amplitude and the APD in right ventricular wall of canine.

CONCLUSIONBy restoring the dome and the APD of the epicardial and midcardial cells action potentials, quinidine (5 micromol/L) could reduce the marked transmural dispersion of repolarization caused by pinacidil.