Inotropic and electrophysiologic effects of propofol and thiamylal in isolated papillary muscles of the guinea pig and the rat.

We compared the inotropic and electrophysiologic effects of propofol and thiamylal in isolated papillary muscles of the guinea pig and rat. Propofol applied in clinical 10% intralipid emulsion showed concentration-dependent negative inotropic effects, accompanied by decreased action potential duration, in the guinea pig. Intralipid alone had no effect. Although thiamylal showed a concentration-dependent depression similar to propofol in the guinea pig, depolarization of resting membrane potential was seen at 0.1 and 0.3 mM, and a slight prolongation of action potential duration at 90% repolarization at 0.1 mM, and then a decrease of action potential duration at 0.3 mM. In rat papillary muscles, propofol did not produce any depression of contractile force, whereas thiamylal produced a concentration-dependent negative inotropic effect. The important findings observed in the action potential in rat papillary muscles were the modest shortening of action potential duration after propofol application, and the significant decrease of resting membrane potential and the significant prolongation of action potential duration caused by thiamylal. Both propofol and thiamylal depressed slow action potentials and contractile force in guinea pig papillary muscles depolarized by 25 mM K+ solution. In conclusion, the negative inotropic effects of propofol and thiamylal might be caused by inhibition of trans-sarcolemmal Ca2+ influx accompanied by shortening of action potential duration in guinea pig papillary muscles. The action potential of thiamylal might be affected by the suppression of K+ current in guinea pig and rat papillary muscles that was never observed in the propofol-treated tissue.