Myocardial biochemical and hemodynamic adaptations to chronic tachycardia

The purpose was to determine the biochemical and hemodynamic adaptations of the myocardium to chronic tachycardia. Cardiac pacemakers were implanted in Yorkshire pigs and set at a rate of 180 beats/min for a period of 35-42 days. Animals were then anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. Myocardial blood flow and hemodynamics were determined at three different heart rates (i.e., 120, 180, and 220 beats/min). Tissue samples were then taken for microsphere and biochemical analyses. Chronically paced hearts maintained better cardiac function and had consistently higher left ventricular blood flow with a higher endocardial-to-epicardial ratio. The activities of citrate synthase and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase were 23 and 45% greater in the paced hearts, respectively. The sarcoplasmic reticulum adenosinetriphosphatase activity was 55% greater in the paced hearts, whereas the myosin adenosinetriphosphatase was the same as in the control hearts. Polyacrylamide gels of the ventricular myosin isoforms showed only the V3 type to be present in both the control and paced hearts. These findings show that the heart of a large mammal adapts to chronic tachycardia (i.e., 180 beats/min) by elevating the aerobic and calcium-sequestering capacities without altering its myosin type.