The Effects of Caffeine on the Electrical Properties of Isolated, Single Rat Ventricular Cells

The effects of caffeine on ionic currents in isolated, single cells from rat ventricles were compared with the effects of adrenaline. In current-clamp experiments, caffeine (1.0 to 10.0mM) increased both the height of the plateau and the duration of the action potential. Both caffeine and adrenaline increased the amplitude and duration of the slow responses. Voltage-clamp experiments reveal that the repolarization phase of the action potential in isolated cells is determined mainly by the slow inward current (Is), which has voltage-dependent kinetics similar to the Is in intact cardiac tissue. No evidence of a time-dependent outward current (Ix), or a hyperpolarization-induced inward current (Ih) or (If) was found, although a time-independent background current (Ik1) was observed. Caffeine increased the amplitude of Is, but did not change its time course, its voltage dependency (of steady-state inactivation and activation), or its apparent reversal potential. Ik1 is not affected by the caffeine. The results indicated that the effects of caffeine were nearly identical to those of adrenaline. The effects of caffeine on the electrical properties of single cells from rat ventricles derive chiefly from its action on Is channels.