Influence of a Na+-H+ exchange inhibitor ethylisopropylamiloride, a Na+-Ca2+ exchange inhibitor KB-R7943 and their combination on the increases in contractility and Ca2+ transient induced by angiotensin II in isolated adult rabbit ventricular myocytes.

In rabbit, ventricular myocytes loaded with indo-1/AM, angiotensin II (0.1 nM-0.1 microM) exerted a positive inotropic effect with a significant increase in the amplitude of Ca2+ transients. For a given increase in cell shortening, the increase in Ca2+ transients induced by angiotensin II was less than that induced by elevation of extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]0) or isoprenaline, an indication that both the increase in mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ ions and myofibrillar sensitivity to Ca2+ ions contribute to the positive inotropic effect of angiotensin II. The effects of angiotensin II on Ca2+ transients and cell shortening were inhibited by the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan. A Na+ -H+ exchange inhibitor EIPA [5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride] at 1 and 3 microM did not affect the Ca2+ transients and cell shortening, but it inhibited the angiotensin-II-induced responses in a concentration-dependent manner more effectively than the responses to elevation of [Ca2+]0, indicating that EIPA elicited a selective inhibitory action on the effects of angiotensin II. The observation that EIPA at 10 microM abolished the positive inotropic effect of angiotensin II without a significant depression of the inotropic response to elevation of [Ca2+]0 supports the selective action of EIPA at the high concentration on the response to angiotensin II. A novel selective Na+ -Ca2+ exchange (reverse mode) inhibitor KB-R7943, 2-[2-[4-(-nitrobenzyloxy)phenyl]ethyl] isothiourea methanesulphonate, at 0.3 and 1 microM inhibited also the responses to angiotensin II more effectively than the response to elevation of [Ca2+]0; however, over the same concentration range it suppressed significantly the amplitude of Ca2+ transients and cell shortening. Combination of EIPA (3 microM) and KB-R7943 (0.3 microM), each of which attenuated partially the angiotensin-II-induced responses, abolished the positive inotropic effect and the increase in Ca2+ transients induced by angiotensin II with much less depressant effect on the responses to elevation of [Ca2+]0. Thus, these ion exchange inhibitors exerted selective actions on the respective targets. The results with these selective inhibitors indicate that the activation of Na+ -H+ exchanger and subsequent modulation of the activity of Na+ -Ca2+ exchanger may be responsible for the increase in [Ca2+]i and the myofilament Ca2+ sensitization induced by stimulation of AT1 receptors by angiotensin II in rabbit ventricular myocytes.