The influence of intercellular clefts on the electrical properties of sheep cardiac Purkinje fibers.

A model of a 100 micrometers diameter Purkinje fiber with intercellular clefts was studied under voltage clamp conditions to examine the consequences of radial nonuniformity. Sodium and potassium conductances were distributed so that the surface and cleft membranes had similar channel density. Assuming that the model is appropriate, sodium current (and conductance) measured in the voltage clamp is grossly underestimated because of loss of voltage control of the cleft membrane. Under these conditions a value for g Na of about 15-20 mmho/cm2 of actual membrane is consistent with the experimental measurements of Dudel and Rüdel (1970. Pfluegers Arch. Eur. J. Physiol. 315:136-158.). Intermediate and slow currents (slow inward current and potassium current) appear to be accurately measured under the model conditions, despite some voltage nonuniformity within the cleft. This result depended on the presence of a residual sodium current, and experimental removal of sodium may alter this result. All effects of nonuniformity would be accentuated in fibers of larger diameter.