Abstract

We investigated the effect of a new Ca++ sensitizer, MCI-154, which is known to increase myofibrillar Ca++ sensitivity and maximal Ca(++)-activated force, on Ca++ transients and left ventricular (LV) function in indo-1-loaded Langendorff guinea plg hearts subjected to a reduction in coronary perfusion pressure from 80 to 40 mm Hg. During low-flow ischemia, LV contractility decreased by 50%, whereas systolic and diastolic indo-1 fluorescence ratios increased by 10%. The treatment with MCI-154 (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) 15 min after ischemia effectively restored the depressed LV function with little effect on indo-1 ratio. EMD 53998 (10(-9) to 10(-6) M), which also acts on maximal Ca(++)-activated force, restored LV function with a minimal impact on indo-1 ratio, but at 10(-5) M, EMD 53998 caused diastolic dysfunction, and its beneficial effect on systolic function disappeared. The relation between indo-1 ratio and LV contractility showed that MCI-154 and EMD 53998 restored ischemic contractile failure by Ca(++)-sensitizing action. It was noted that the restoration of LV dysfunction by MCI-154 or EMD 53998 was more pronounced than that by pimobendan, which acts primarily on Ca++ sensitivity. In contrast, the phosphodiesterase inhibitor milrinone restored LV function, but it doubled the increase in indo-1 ratio during ischemia. These findings suggest that a decrease in myofilament Ca++ responsiveness may be an important cause of ischemic contractile failure and that the restoration of depressed Ca++ responsiveness by intervention such as MCI-154 may be a promising approach for restoring the depressed function.