Mannitol and hyponatremia regulate cardiac ventricular conduction in the context of sodium channel loss of function

Scn5a heterozygous null (Scn5a(+/-)) mice have historically been used to investigate arrhythmogenic mechanisms of diseases such as Brugada syndrome (BrS) and Lev's disease. Previously, we demonstrated that reducing ephaptic coupling (EpC) in ex vivo hearts exacerbates pharmacological voltage-gated sodium channel (Na-v)1.5 loss of function (LOF). Whether this effect is consistent in a genetic Na(v)1.5 LOF model is yet to be determined. We hypothesized that loss of EpC would result in greater reduction in conduction velocity (CV) for the Scn5a(+/-) mouse relative to wild type (WT). In vivo ECGs and ex vivo optical maps were recorded from Langendorff-perfused Scn5a(+/-) and WT mouse hearts. EpC was reduced with perfusion of a hyponatremic solution, the clinically relevant osmotic agent mannitol, or a combination of the two. Neither in vivo QRS duration nor ex vivo CV during normonatremia was significantly different between the two genotypes. In agreement with our hypothesis, we found that hyponatremia severely slowed CV and disrupted conduction for 4/5 Scn5a(+/-) mice, but 0/6 WT mice. In addition, treatment with mannitol slowed CV to a greater extent in Scn5a(+/-) relative to WT hearts. Unexpectedly, treatment with mannitol during hyponatremia did not further slow CV in either genotype, but resolved the disrupted conduction observed in Scn5a(+/-) hearts. Similar results in guinea pig hearts suggest the effects of mannitol and hyponatremia are not species specific. In conclusion, loss of EpC through either hyponatremia or mannitol alone results in slowed or disrupted conduction in a genetic model of Na(v)1.5 LOF. However, the combination of these interventions attenuates conduction slowing. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Cardiac sodium channel loss of function (LOF) diseases such as Brugada syndrome (BrS) are often concealed. We optically mapped mouse hearts with reduced sodium channel expression (Scn5a(+/-)) to evaluate whether reduced ephaptic coupling (EpC) can unmask conduction deficits. Data suggest that conduction deficits in the Scn5a(+/-) mouse may be unmasked by treatment with hyponatremia and perinexal widening via mannitol. These data support further investigation of hyponatremia and mannitol as novel diagnostics for sodium channel loss of function diseases.