Effects of postnatal maturation on postrest potentiation in isolated rabbit atria

Ultrastructural changes in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have been reported during postnatal development of the mammalian heart, but the functional significance of these observations has not been well characterized. Calcium release from SR in intact myocardial preparations was determined by the contractile characteristics of postrest contractions. Isometric tension and the maximum rate of tension development of the first contraction following intervals of electromechanical quiescence (rest) were related to steady-state tension and maximum rate of tension development during contraction at constant frequency (1.0 Hz) in isolated left atrial strips from newborn (1-7 days), immature (14-21 days), and adult (more than 6 months) rabbits. The first postrest contraction was increased as a function of the rest interval rate of tension development, defined as postrest potentiation, in all three age groups and reached a maximum value at rest intervals of more than 20 s. Tension developed by the first contraction following a 60-s rest interval was potentiated less in newborn and immature atria than in adult atria at an extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca]e) of 2.5 mM, an age-related difference most marked in the immature. Ryanodine (5.0 X 10(-9) M), a putative blocker of calcium release from cardiac SR, abolished postrest potentiation providing evidence that calcium release from SR is the predominant determinant of the postrest contraction. Postrest tension in atria from the immature rabbit heart was significantly increased both in absolute terms and relative to steady-state tension following stabilization under conditions which increase intracellular [Ca] [( Ca]i), i.e. increasing [Ca]e, increasing tonicity, or decreasing extracellular sodium concentration ([Na]e).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)