Action potential shortening rescues atrial calcium alternans

Key points Cardiac alternans refers to a beat‐to‐beat alternation in contraction, action potential (AP) morphology and Ca 2+ transient (CaT) amplitude, and represents a risk factor for cardiac arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation. We developed strategies to pharmacologically manipulate the AP waveform with the goal to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of CaT and contraction alternans in atrial tissue. With combined patch‐clamp and intracellular Ca 2+ measurements we investigated the effect of specific ion channel inhibitors and activators on alternans. In single rabbit atrial myocytes, suppression of Ca 2+ ‐activated Cl − channels eliminated AP duration alternans, but prolonged the AP and failed to eliminate CaT alternans. In contrast, activation of K + currents (I Ks and I Kr ) shortened the AP and eliminated both AP duration and CaT alternans. As demonstrated also at the whole heart level, activation of K + conductances represents a promising strategy to suppress alternans, and thus reducing a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. Abstract At the cellular level alternans is observed as beat‐to‐beat alternations in contraction, action potential (AP) morphology and magnitude of the Ca 2+ transient (CaT). Alternans is a well‐established risk factor for cardiac arrhythmia, including atrial fibrillation. This study investigates whether pharmacological manipulation of AP morphology is a viable strategy to reduce the risk of arrhythmogenic CaT alternans. Pacing‐induced AP and CaT alternans were studied in rabbit atrial myocytes using combined Ca 2+ imaging and electrophysiological measurements. Increased AP duration (APD) and beat‐to‐beat alternations in AP morphology lowered the pacing frequency threshold and increased the degree of CaT alternans. Inhibition of Ca 2+ ‐activated Cl − channels reduced beat‐to‐beat AP alternations, but prolonged APD and failed to suppress CaT alternans. In contrast, AP shortening induced by activators of two K + channels (ML277 for Kv7.1 and NS1643 for Kv11.1) abolished both APD and CaT alternans in field‐stimulated and current‐clamped myocytes. K + channel activators had no effect on the degree of Ca 2+ alternans in AP voltage‐clamped cells, confirming that suppression of Ca 2+ alternans was caused by the changes in AP morphology. Finally, activation of Kv11.1 channel significantly attenuated or even abolished atrial T‐wave alternans in isolated Langendorff perfused hearts. In summary, AP shortening suppressed or completely eliminated both CaT and APD alternans in single atrial myocytes and atrial T‐wave alternans at the whole heart level. Therefore, we suggest that AP shortening is a potential intervention to avert development of alternans with important ramifications for arrhythmia prevention and therapy.