L-type and T-type Ca2+ current in cultured ventricular guinea pig myocytes

The aim of this investigation was to study L-type and T-type Ca(2+) current (I(CaL) and I(CaT)) in short-term cultured adult guinea pig ventricular myocytes. The isolated myocytes were suspended in serum-supplemented medium up to 5 days. Using whole-cell patch clamp techniques ICaL and ICaT were studied by applying voltage protocols from different holding potentials (-40 and -90 mV). After 5 days in culture the myocytes still showed their typical rod shaped morphology but a decline in cell membrane capacitance (26 %). The peak density of ICaT was reduced significantly between day 0 (-1.6+/-0.37 pA/pF, n=9) and day 5 (-0.4+/-0.13 pA/pF, n=11), whereas peak ICaL density revealed no significant differences during culturing. The I(CaT)/I(CaL) ratio dropped from 0.13 at day 0 to 0.05 at day 5. Compared with day 0 I(CaL) the steady state inactivation curve of day 1, day 3 and day 5 myocytes was slightly shifted to more negative potentials. Our data indicate that guinea pig ventricular L-type and T-type Ca(2+) channels are differently regulated in culture.