Effects of hypocaloric feeding and refeeding on myocardial Ca and ATP cycling in the rat

Hypocaloric feeding (HCF) depresses heart function causing cardiac atrophy, bradycardia, and decreased cardiac output. We tested the hypothesis that HCF results in decreased myocardial Ca- and ATP cycling. We reduced protein-calorie intake of adult rats by 20% for 7 days and then allowed them to recover for 3 days. Changes in ionized Ca concentration (nM/s) of 2.5% myocardial homogenates that were attributable to the Ca-ATPase pump and Ca-release channel (CRC), respectively, of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) were depressed 41 and 85% by HCF from 61.6 +/- 9.4 and 24.7 +/- 3.3, to 36.1 +/- 2.8 and 3.6 +/- 2.9. Activity of the Ca-pump was restored after 3 days of refeeding, whereas the CRC remained 23% depressed (all p < 0.05). Additionally, the CRC activity was inhibited to a 3-fold greater extent than controls by HCF, but was disinhibited within one day of refeeding. The greater effect on CRC than Ca-pump activity resulted in net Ca-uptake being unaffected by HCF. In addition to depression of Ca-cycling, ATP sythetase and total ATPase activities (IU/g), respectively, were depressed 20 and 15% by HCF from 174 +/- 19 and 51.3 +/- 3.8 to 140 +/- 15 and 43.7 +/- 4.7, but were restored to control values within one day of refeeding. We conclude that HCF produces a compensatory, reversible, and asymmetric downregulation and inhibition of Ca-cycling, with the CRC being preferentially affected.