Butanedione monoxime increases the viability and yield of adult cardiomyocytes in primary cultures.

Various protocols for the isolation and cultivation of adult rat cardiomyocytes were compared, and the cytoprotective potential of the reversible myosin ATPase inhibitor butanedione monoxime (BDM) was evaluated based on cell yield, cell vitality, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) release, and the mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). Overall, a yield of 11.9 x 10(6)cells with >92% cell vitality was obtained when BDM was added to the isolation and cultivation buffers. In contrast, cell vitality ranged from 30% to 70% and cell yield was (4-10) x 10(6) when standard methods for the isolation of cardiomyocytes were used. Butanedione monoxime, at a 15 mM concentration, was cytoprotective during the isolation and cultivation of heart muscle cells, as judged by the morphological appearance (rod shape, lack of bleb formation, and other cytoskeleton defects) and the mRNA expression of the ANP gene. The activities of LDH and CK were also significantly reduced (p < 0.05%) when BDM was added to the isolation and cultivation buffer. The results obtained with BDM warrant further investigation into its cytoprotective potential during ischemia and damage to the cytoskeleton.