Overactivation of the sympathetic nerve may lead to severe ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) after myocardial infarction (MI). Thus, targeting sympathetic nerve activity is an effective strategy to prevent VAs clinically. The superior cervical ganglion (SCG), the extracardiac sympathetic ganglion innervating cardiac muscles, has been found to have a GABAergic signalling system, the physiological significance of which is obscure. We aimed to explore the functional significance of SCG post MI and whether the GABAergic signal system is involved in the process.

The GABAergic signalling system is functionally expressed in SCG sympathetic neurons, and activation of this system suppresses sympathetic activity, thereby facilitating cardiac protection and making it a potential target to alleviate VAs.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into seven different groups. Rats in the MI groups underwent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. All animals were used for electrophysiological testing, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) testing, and ELISA. Primary SCG sympathetic neurons were used for the in vitro study.

The GABAA receptor agonist muscimol significantly decreased the ATP-induced increase in intracellular Ca2+ (P < 0.05). GABA treatment in MI rats significantly attenuated the level of serum and cardiac norepinephrine (NE; P < 0.05). Sympathetic activity and inducible VAs were also lower in MI + GABA rats than in MI rats (P < 0.05). Knockdown of the GABAA Rs β2 subunit (GABAA Rβ2 ) in the SCG of MI rats increased the NE levels in serum and cardiac tissue, RSNA and inducible VAs compared with vehicle shRNA (P < 0.05).