Species Plays an Important Role in Drug-Induced Prolongation of Action Potential Duration and Early Afterdepolarizations in Isolated Purkinje Fibers

• Published in: Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology 2001-01, Vol.12 (1), p.93-102
• Main Authors: LU, HUA RONG, MARIËN, ROGER, SAELS, ANN, DE CLERCK, FRED
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: action potential duration; Action Potentials - drug effects; Animals; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents - pharmacology; early afterdepolarizations; Electrophysiology; Ikr; In Vitro Techniques; long QT syndrome; Mammals; Phenethylamines - pharmacology; Purkinje fibers; Purkinje Fibers - drug effects; Purkinje Fibers - physiology; Quinidine - pharmacology; Reaction Time - drug effects; species; Species Specificity; Sulfonamides - pharmacology
• ISSN: 1045-3873; 1540-8167
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1540-8167.2001.00093.x

Species and Drug‐Induced Long APD and EADs. Introduction: Although isolated Purkinje fibers (PFs) often are used to evaluate the electrophysiologic effects of new drugs in terms of prolongation of action potential duration (APD) and induction of early afterdepolarizations (EADs), species differences in this respect remain elusive. We evaluated potential species‐specific differences in drug‐induced prolongation of APD and EADs in isolated PF from various species. Methods and Results: Using a microelectrode technique, PFs (n = 7 to 11 per species) were isolated from hearts of rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, swine, goats, or sheep, superperfused in Tyrode's solution with dofetilide (1 × 10−8 M) or quinidine (1 × 10−5 M) for 25 minutes, and stimulated at 1 Hz for 20 minutes and at 0.2 Hz for another 5 minutes. Dofetilide increased APD at 90% repolarization (APD90) at 1 Hz by 83% (rabbit), 24% (guinea pig), 65% (dogs), 18% (swine), 61% (goat), and 30% (sheep), and prolonged APD90 at 0.2 Hz by 187% (rabbit), 31% (guinea pig), 154% (dog), 17% (swine), 61% (goat), and 8% (sheep). Similarly, quinidine changed APD90by 93% (rabbit), 0% (guinea pig), 16% (dog), −3% (swine), 0% (goat), and −24% (sheep) at 1 Hz, and by 124% (rabbit), 15% (guinea pig), 53% (dog), 17% (swine), 11% (goat), and −39% (sheep) at 0.2 Hz in PF. During superfusion of dofetilide or quinidine, EADs occurred in most preparations in rabbit PFs at 0.2 Hz, but not in any of the PFs from other species at 0.2 Hz. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that species plays an important role in the response of PF to drug‐induced prolongation of APD and EADs. Rabbit PFs constitute the most sensitive model for detecting drug‐induced, potential long APD and proarrhythmogenic effects in vitro.