54th Bowditch Lecture: Myocardial Contraction-Relaxation Coupling.
Summary of "54th Bowditch Lecture: Myocardial Contraction-Relaxation Coupling."
Since the pioneering work of Henry Pickering Bowditch in the late 1800's-early 1900's, cardiac muscle contraction has remained an intensely studied topic, for several reasons. It is located centrally in our body, and its pumping motion demands the attention of the observer. The contraction of the heart encompasses a complex interplay of mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties, and its function can thus be studied from any of these viewpoints. In addition, diseases of the heart are currently killing more people in the westernized world than any other disease. Combined with the increasing emphasis of research to be clinically relevant, this contributes to the heart remaining a topic of continued basic and clinical investigation. Yet, there are significant aspects of cardiac muscle contraction that are still not well understood. A big complication of the study of cardiac muscle contraction is that there exists no equilibrium between many of the important governing parameters, which include pre- and afterload, intracellular ion concentrations, membrane potential, and velocity and direction of movement. Thus, the classic approach of perturbing an equilibrium or a steady-state to learn about the role of the perturbing factor in the system cannot be unambiguously interpreted, as each of the parameters that govern contraction are constantly changing, as well as constantly changing their interaction with each other. In this review, presented as the 54(th) Bowditch lecture at Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim in April of 2010, I will re-visit several governing factors of cardiac muscle relaxation, by applying newly developed tools and protocols to isolated cardiac muscle tissue in which the dynamic interactions between governing factors of contraction and relaxation can be studied.
Affiliation
1The Ohio State University.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology
ISSN: 1522-1539
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20852049
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00759.2010
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Excitation Contraction Coupling
A process fundamental to muscle physiology whereby an electrical stimulus or action potential triggers a myocyte to depolarize and contract. This mechanical muscle contraction response is regulated by entry of calcium ions into the cell.
Calcium Channel Blockers
A class of drugs that act by selective inhibition of calcium influx through cell membranes or on the release and binding of calcium in intracellular pools. Since they are inducers of vascular and other smooth muscle relaxation, they are used in the drug therapy of hypertension and cerebrovascular spasms, as myocardial protective agents, and in the relaxation of uterine spasms.
Fendiline
Coronary vasodilator; inhibits calcium function in muscle cells in excitation-contraction coupling; proposed as antiarrhythmic and antianginal agents.
Myocardial Contraction
Contractile activity of the MYOCARDIUM.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
The restoration of the sequential order of contraction and relaxation of the HEART ATRIA and HEART VENTRICLES by atrio-biventricular pacing.
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