Reversal of hypothermia-induced action potential lengthening by the KATP channel agonist bimakalim in isolated guinea pig ventricular muscle.

1. ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel openers shorten cardiac ventricular muscle action potential duration (APD), reduce resting and developed contractile force, and have been shown to provide cardioprotection when given before, during, and after either short-term ischemia or long-term hypothermia. The authors' aim was to determine the concentration-dependent effect of the potent KATP channel opener bimakalim on transmembrane action potential changes induced by mild (27 degrees C) and moderate (20 degrees C) hypothermia in isolated guinea pig ventricular muscle. 2. Conventional microelectrode techniques were used to record action potentials (APs) in single myocytes during normothermia (37 degrees C) and hypothermia in the presence and absence of 0.1 to 30 mumol.l-1 bimakalim. 3. Hypothermia alone increased APD and depolarized the diastolic membrane potential (DMP): APD90 = 141.7 +/- 7.0 msec and DMP -86.2 +/- 1.4 mV (n = 6) at 37 degrees C versus 235.7 +/- 7.8 msec and -75.6 +/- 1.0 mV at 20 degrees C (n = 7). At 37 degrees C, bimakalim (0.1-10 mumol.l-1) shortened APD in a concentration-dependent fashion. 4. APD90 was markedly reduced from 141.7 +/- 7.0 msec without bimakalim to 9.5 +/- 2.6 msec with 10 mumol.l-1 bimakalim (n = 6); this effect was blocked by glibenclamide. DMP was hyperpolarized by bimakalim. More bimakalim was required to shorten APs during mild and moderate hypothermia. The 50% effective concentration (EC50) of bimakalim required to maximally shorten APD90 was 0.96 +/- 0.10 mumol.l-1 at 37 degrees C; this increased to 3.96 +/- 0.24 mumol.l-1 at 27 degrees C, and to 12.34 +/- 0.72 mumol.l-1 at 20 degrees C. Relative to hypothermia-induced depolarization, bimakalim hyperpolarized DMP toward drug-free values obtained at 37 degrees C. 5. These results indicate that hypothermia shifts the bimakalim concentration APD90 response curve to the right such that 13 times more bimakalim is required at 20 degrees C shorten APD by the same amount as at 37 degrees C. Bimakalim also reverses hypothermia-induced AP lengthening and tends to reverse the hypothermia-induced decrease in DMP. 6. These findings aid in our understanding of the cardioprotective effects of KATP channel openers during hypothermia.