Reports have suggested that the fast inward sodium current (INa) in cardiac tissues may be modulated by beta-adrenergic stimulation and that such modulation may affect conduction in the setting of myocardial ischemia and infarction. However, many of these studies have used dissociated myocytes or broken cell preparations, whose responses need not necessarily reflect those of syncytial preparations. To investigate further the possibility that beta-adrenergic stimulation of INa may differ in various preparations, we compared the effects of the beta-agonist isoproterenol (ISO) on syncytial canine Purkinje fibers and ventricular muscle preparations, as well as isolated ventricular myocytes. Alterations of the maximum rate of rise of the action potential upstroke (Vmax) were used as an index of changes of INa. ISO (1 microM) had no effect on Vmax of upstrokes of normally polarized (fast responses) or partially depolarized (elevated [K+]o, depressed fast responses) syncytial ventricular muscle preparations or Purkinje fibers. In contrast, lower concentrations of ISO (0.5-1.0 microM) modulated Vmax of isolated ventricular myocytes, depending on the technique used to monitor transmembrane potential. When 2.7 M KCl-filled microelectrodes were used, ISO reduced Vmax of partially depolarized myocytes without affecting Vmax of normally polarized myocytes. However, when myocytes were dialyzed using patch pipettes, ISO reduced Vmax of partially depolarized myocytes and increased Vmax of normally polarized myocytes, effecting a hyperpolarized shift of the normalized inactivation curve relating Vmax to resting membrane potential. The different beta-adrenergic responses of syncytial preparations and nondialyzed and dialyzed myocytes suggest that differences in the ionic or metabolic condition of the preparations likely alter cAMP-dependent responses and channel phosphorylation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)