The effect of calcium antagonists on the activities of lipid metabolizing enzymes in the isolated ischaemically perfused and reperfused rat heart

Isolated rat hearts were perfused with various external Ca2+ concentrations and with various Ca2+ uptake antagonists. Compared to control activities (at 1.2 mM Ca2+), 0.6 mM Ca2+ and Ca2+ antagonists inhibited triglyceride lipase (TGL) and stimulated glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT). Raising external Ca2+ concentration above the control value had no effect on TGL activity but GPAT activity was greatly reduced. Therefore, it appears that GPAT, but not TGL, will respond to increases in [Ca2+]. During ischaemia the activity of TGL is increased and that of GPAT is inhibited by beta-adrenergic activation. On reperfusion, TGL activity returns to pre-ischaemic values but GPAT activity is further reduced. In this study pre-perfusion of hearts with the Ca2+ antagonist diltiazem (10(-6) M) produced the following effects on enzyme activity during ischaemia and reperfusion: after 10 min ischaemia, TGL activity was increased and GPAT activity decreased to the same extent as seen during ischaemia in control hearts; however, on reperfusion of diltiazem-perfused hearts, the activities of both TGL and GPAT returned to pre-ischaemic values. These results suggest that Ca2+ entry on reperfusion is responsible for the reperfusion-induced decrease in GPAT activity.