The present study examines the intracellular pH (pHi) dependence of angiotensin (ANG) II-induced positive inotropic effect in cat papillary muscles contracting isometrically (0.2 Hz, 30 degrees C). Muscles were loaded with the fluorescent dye 2'-7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethyl ester for simultaneous measurement of pHi and contractility. In N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer (n = 4), there was a temporal dissociation between the positive inotropic and the alkalinizing effects of ANG II (0.5 microM). The positive inotropic effect of ANG II peaked at 9.7 +/- 0.8 min (240 +/- 57% above control) without significant changes in pHi. The increase in pHi became significant (0.05 +/- 0.01 pH units) only after 16 min of exposure to the drug, when the positive inotropic effect of ANG II was already fading. In HCO3- buffer (n = 7), the ANG II-induced positive inotropic effect occurred without significant pHi changes. In the presence of 5 microM ethyl isopropyl amiloride (EIPA, to specifically inhibit the Na+/H+ exchanger), the alkalinizing effect of ANG II was changed to a significant decrease in pHi, despite which ANG II still increased contractility by 87 +/- 16% (n = 6). The results indicate that in HEPES buffer only a fraction of the ANG II-induced positive inotropic effect can be attributed to a pHi change, whereas in a physiological CO2-HCO3- medium the positive inotropic effect of ANG II is independent of pHi changes. Furthermore, an ANG II-induced increase in myocardial contractility was observed even when ANG II administration elicited a decrease in pHi, as occurred after Na+/H+ exchanger blockade. The results show that in feline myocardium, the increase in contractility evoked by ANG II in a physiological CO2-HCO3- medium is not due to an increase in Ca2+ myofilament sensitivity secondary to an increase in myocardial pHi.