[The rat ventricular myocardium in chronic hypercapnia. Electron microscopic study].
An electron microscope study of the left ventricular myocardium from rat acclimatized to chronic hypercapnia was done in order to complete the preceding work concerning general effects of respiratory acidosis. After 15 and 30 days of the acclimatation to 8% CO2 no lesions of the myocardium could be found. The results of the morphometric analysis indicated, however, discrete modifications of heart ultrastructure similar to those found before in hypoxic and failing hearts: namely a decrease of mitochondrial mean diameter and a non significant decrease of mitochondrial fractional volume. The latter was accompanied by a significant decrease of myofibrillar mass. The presence of cellular oedema seems to be suggested by an increase of fractional volume of the cytosol. The mechanism of these changes is not easy to explain. Further work will be necessary to make a choice between two possibilities: (1) depressed contractility related to some direct effect of high pCO2 and (2) tissue hypoxia secondary to local effects of the former.