Electrical interaction of mechanosensitive fibroblasts and myocytes in the heart
- 18 April 2005
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Basic Research in Cardiology
- Vol. 100 (4), 337-345
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00395-005-0529-4
Abstract
Fibroblasts in the heart can respond to mechanical deformation of the plasma membrane with characteristic changes of their membrane potential. Membrane depolarization of the fibroblasts occurs during the myocardial contractions and is caused by an influx of cations, mainly of sodium ions, into the cells. Conversely, application of mechanical stretch to the cells, i.e., during diastolic relaxation of the myocardium, will hyperpolarize the membrane potential of the fibroblasts due to reduced sodium entry. Thus, cardiac fibroblasts can function as mechano–electric transducers that are possibly involved in the mechano–electric feedback mechanism of the heart. Mechano–electric feedback refers to the phenomenon, that the cardiac mechanical environment, which depends on the variable filling pressure of the ventricles, modulates the electrical function of the heart. Increased sensitivity of the cardiac fibroblasts to mechanical forces may contribute to the electrical instability and arrhythmic disposition of the heart after myocardial infarction. Novel findings indicate that these processes involve the intercellular transfer of electrical signals between fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes via gap junctions. In this article we will discuss the recent progress in the electrophysiology of cardiac fibroblasts. The main focus will be on the intercellular pathways through which fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes communicate with each other.Keywords
This publication has 67 references indexed in Scilit:
- Structural and functional characterisation of cardiac fibroblastsCardiovascular Research, 2005
- Spatially and temporally distinct expression of fibroblast connexins after sheep ventricular infarctionCardiovascular Research, 2004
- Fibroblast Network in Rabbit Sinoatrial NodeCirculation Research, 2004
- Swelling-activated chloride channels in cardiac physiology and pathophysiologyProgress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 2003
- Ventricular fibrillation during acute coronary occlusion is related to the dilation of the ischemic regionBasic Research in Cardiology, 2002
- Gap junction channels in the cardiovascular system: pharmacological and physiological modulationTrends in Pharmacological Sciences, 1998
- Mechano-electrical feedback in ventricular myocardiumCardiovascular Research, 1996
- ARRHYTHMIA IN HEART FAILURE: ROLE OF MECHANICALLY INDUCED CHANGES IN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Lancet, 1989
- Quantitative study of ageing changes in the human sinoatrial node and internodal tracts.Heart, 1972
- Intercellular communication and tissue growthThe Journal of Membrane Biology, 1969