Myocardial α<sub>1</sub>-Adrenoceptors have been shown to mediate a biphaslc inotropic response that was characterized by a transient decline followed by a sustained increasing phase in guinea pig ventricular muscle. Recently one group reported that an α<sub>1</sub>-Adrenoceptors-induced intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> decrease is linked to fast Na<sup>+</sup> channel inhibition and another group reported that it is linked to Na<sup>+</sup>-K<sup>+</sup> pump activation by α<sub>1b</sub>-adrenoceptors. But until now, its mechanism is not clear. Therefore, to see whether the Na<sup>+</sup>channel or Na<sup>+</sup>-K<sup>+</sup> pump is related to a decrease in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity and/or the negative inotropic response, and which α<sub>1</sub>-Adrenoceptor subtype was involved in the decrease in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup>activity by phenylephrine, we used conventional and sodium selective microelectrodes, and tension transducer to determine the effects of α<sub>1</sub>-adrenergic stimulation on membrane potential, intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity, and twitch force in guinea pig ventricular muscles. 10<sup>-5</sup> M Phenylephrine produced a slight hyperpolarization of the diastolic membrane potential, a decrease or increase in a<sub>N<sup>i</sup><sub>a</sub></sub>, and a biphasic inotropic response. The negative inotropic response accompanied by a decrease in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup>activity, whereas in muscles showing a remarkable positive inotropic response without initial negative inotropic effect was accompanied by an increase in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity. The decrease in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity was apparently inhibited by WB4101, an antagonist of the α<sub>1a</sub>-adrenoceptors. The decrease in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity caused by phenylephrine was not abolished or reduced by a block of the fast Na<sup>+</sup> channels. V<sub>max</sub> also was not affected by phenylephrine. Phenylephrine produced an increase in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity in the presence of a high concentration of extracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> (in quiescent muscle) or phorbol dibutyrate, a protein kinase C activator(in beating muscle). These suggest that the α<sub>1a</sub>-adrenoceptors-mediated decrease in intracellular Na<sup>+</sup> activity may be related to the protein kinase C.
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