[Isolation and electrophysiological characteristics of embryonic cardiomyocytes in mice]

To explore the electrophysiological characteristics of embryonic cardiomyocytes, single embryonic cardiomyocytes were obtained from mice at different periods by a collegenase B digestion approach, whole cell patch clamp recording technique was used to record I(f) and I(Ca-L), and spontaneous action potential was also recorded. The morphological and spontaneous contractile properties of the isolated cells appeared to be typical embryonic cardiomyocytes when the cells were assessed by phase-contrast microscope. Whole cell recording of isolated cells is easily performed by the whole cell patch clamp technique. Elelctrophysiological properties of I(f) and I(Ca-L) from embryonic cardiomyocytes have been proved to be similar to those from adult pacemaker cells or cardiomyocytes. The established method of isolation is simple, stable, effective and reliable. It allows to obtain as early as 8.5-day embryonic myocytes. The electrophysiological recording of embryonic cardiomyocytes will provide a useful model for exploring the electrophysiological characteristics of embryonic cardiomyocytes and the possible mechanism underlying some heart diseases.