The duration of the action potential at 50% of its amplitude (APD50) and peak calcium currents (ICa) was measured in single cardiac guinea-pig ventricular cells, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in current-clamp and voltage-clamp modes respectively. In the absence of intracellular calcium buffer, pacing at 0.28 Hz from a rest period of 1-2 min induced a transient increase (15.5 +/- 3.5%) in APD50, followed by a gradual shortening. Switching from 0.28 to 0.75 Hz again induced a transient increase of APD50 (6.8 +/- 2.9%). In the presence of EGTA or BAPTA on the cytosolic side of the membrane, this transient phase was prolonged and its amplitude slightly increased (10.6% when switching from 0.28 to 0.75 Hz in 5 mM-BAPA). The same increase in rate induced either a negative or a positive staircase of ICa, depending on the holding potential. At a holding potential of -80 mV, ICa peak was enhanced and the inactivation kinetics was slowed down. This facilitation of ICa seems to be dependent on calcium ions entering the cell via the calcium channels and could partly explain the observed transient increase in APD50.

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