Insulin accelerates recovery from QRS complex widening in a frog heart model of hyperkalemia

Hyperkalemia is one of the most common electrolyte disorders. By injecting various concentrations of potassium chloride (KCl) solutions intravenously into bullfrogs, we demonstrated characteristic electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities of hyperkalemia in frog hearts. The widened QRS complexes induced by 100 mM KCl injection were accompanied by an increase in the resting membrane potential in cardiomyocytes and a decreased slope of phase 0 in the action potential. Recording both ECG waveforms and the cardiac action potential enabled us to reveal the mechanisms of hyperkalemia-induced ECG abnormalities. Additionally, pre-treatment with insulin, a powerful stimulator of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity, significantly accelerated the recovery from the widened QRS complexes in the ECG, demonstrating a pronounced shift of extracellular potassium ions into the intracellular space.