Electrical properties of sheep Purkinje strands. Electrical and chemical potentials in the clefts.

The impedence of sheep Purkinje strands, measured to 3-5 kHz, is interpreted with circuit models based on morphology. The strand is described as a one-dimensional electrical cable. Clefts between myocytes of the strand allow radial current to flow in parallel with current across the outer membrane. A lumped model of the clefts, in which all the cleft membrane is in series with 100 omega-cm2, fits only below 20 Hz. Two distributed models, pie and disk, fit at all frequencies with somewhat different (31%) luminal resistivities, but with similar membrane parameters. Series resistance representing the endothelial sheath is small. Simulations of voltage clamp experiments include measured linear parameters and nonlinear membrane channels, as well as radial variation of cleft concentration, membrane flux, voltage, and current. Cleft potential is drastically nonuniform when sodium current flows. Cleft potential is reasonably uniform when calcium and potassium currents flow, but the calcium and potassium concentrations change markedly, enough to turn off the calcium current, even if the calcium channel did not inactivate. We conclude that physiological current flows produce significant nonuniformities in electrochemical potentials in the clefts of this cardiac preparation.