Stretch-induced excitation and action potential changes of single cardiac cells

Mechanoelectric coupling (MEC) has been studied extensively in the heart at the tissue and organ levels, but to only a limited extent in single cells because of the technical challenges. New results are presented in which MEC was studied in 57 single frog ventricular myocytes that were held on both ends by glass holding pipettes. Axial stretch was applied either by displacement of the pipettes, or by a glass fiber around which the cell was wrapped, that was displaced in a pulsatile or sinusoidal fashion. Electrical activity of the cell was monitored either by active contraction, by intracellular action potentials, or by focal extracellular potentials. Of more than 350 stretches applied to 57 cells with amplitudes ranging from 3% to 35%, only 4 cases of mechanically induced stimulation were observed. In 252 stretches applied to 32 cells in which action potential duration (APD) was measured, no change >20% was observed, except in 3 cells in which APD increased by >100%, and in 2 cells with extended triggered activity. Thus, in contrast to studies in intact tissue, single frog ventricular myocytes are generally insensitive to direct axial stretch. However, robust mechanosensitive responses were observed in 7 of 57 (∼12%) cells. The results of other single cell studies are reviewed, and the significance of differences in tissue-level and single cell results is discussed.