Local conduction during acute myocardial infarction in rats: Interplay between central sympathetic activation and endothelin

We investigated the effects of autonomic dysfunction and endothelin on local conduction and arrhythmogenesis during myocardial infarction. We recorded ventricular tachyarrhythmias, monophasic action potentials, and activation sequences in wild-type and ET(B)-deficient rats displaying high endothelin levels. Central sympathetic inputs were examined after clonidine administration. Clonidine mitigated early and delayed arrhythmogenesis in ET(B)-deficient and wild-type rats, respectively. The right ventricular activation delay increased in clonidine-treated ET(B)-deficient rats and slightly decreased in wild-type rats. The left ventricular voltage rise decreased in all groups, whereas the activation delay increased mainly in clonidine-treated ET(B)-deficient rats. Central sympathetic activation and endothelin modulate ischemia-induced arrhythmogenesis. Ischemia alters excitability, whereas endothelin impairs local conduction, an action partly counterbalanced by central sympathetic activity.