Studies on the Na+-K+-ATPase in myocardial infarction

Changes in the cardiac sarcolemma in myocardial infarction were studied by both determination of Na+-K+-ATPase activity and SDS gel electrophoretic analysis of sarcolemmal proteins in the canine heart. Ninety minutes after coronary ligation, Na+-K+-ATPase activity in ischemic myocardium was decreased significantly to approximately 36% of that of non-ischemic myocardium, and it remained at the lower level for 28 days. By SDS gel electrophoresis, reduction of the protein band with molecular weight of 111,000, which is suggestive of the main component of ATPase, was observed simultaneously with the reduction of Na+-K+-ATPase activity. These results indicate that ischemia for 90 minutes produces substructural changes in the sarcolemma indicating irreversible myocardial changes.