Decreased sensitivity of contraction to changes of intracellular pH in papillary muscle from diabetic rat hearts.

1. The relationship between intracellular pH (pHi) and contractile activity was investigated in papillary muscles isolated from right ventricle of normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. pHi changes induced by 20 mM-NH4Cl were recorded with H(+)-sensitive microelectrodes. 2. An increase in pHi of approximately 0.20 pH units on exposure to NH4Cl led to an increase of the maximum developed tension, which was 707.8 +/- 57.5% (mean +/- S.E. of mean, n = 10) of control in normal muscles and 271 +/- 16.3% (n = 10) in diabetic muscles. On the other hand, acidosis induced by NH4Cl withdrawal was associated with a fall in developed tension to 48.2 +/- 6.7% of control in diabetic muscles, as compared to 79.2 +/- 8% in normal muscles. 3. The decrease in tension associated with acidosis was rapidly followed (in approximately 2 min) by a transient redevelopment of force, which peaked at 80.2 +/- 8.6% of control in the diabetic muscles as compared to 153.5 +/- 11.7% in normal papillary muscles. The peak of this secondary positive inotropy coincided in both groups of muscles with the maximum decrease of pHi, i.e. -0.40 +/- 0.02 and -0.28 +/- 0.04 pH units in diabetic and normal muscles, respectively. 4. Caffeine (10 mM), which had a marked positive inotropic effect in both groups of muscles, abolished the transient recovery of tension occurring after NH4Cl withdrawal. Ryanodine (2 microM) which had a marked negative inotropic effect on both normal and diabetic papillary muscles, also suppressed the transient recovery of tension. 5. The presence of amiloride (1 mM) during acidosis induced by NH4Cl withdrawal abolished the observed differences in developed tension, in particular the transient recovery of tension, between normal and diabetic muscles, as it abolished the differences in the amplitude of pHi decrease and in the time course of pHi recovery. 6. The presence of 2',4'-dichlorobenzamil amiloride (40 microM) significantly and similarly delayed and reduced the amplitude of transient recovery of tension in both normal and diabetic papillary muscles. 7. We conclude that STZ-induced diabetes induces a decrease in pHi sensitivity of contractile force. This may be the consequence of a change in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) composition and function, and may also indirectly result from changes in Na(+)-H+ exchange activity, particularly during intracellular acidosis.