Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1984 Jul;82(3):735–743. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1984.tb10813.x

Maintained contractions of rat uterine smooth muscle incubated in a Ca2+-free solution.

C Mironneau, J Mironneau, J P Savineau
PMCID: PMC1987007  PMID: 6589025

Abstract

The effects of acetylcholine (10(-4) M), prostaglandin E2 (10(-6) M), vanadate (5 X 10(-4) M) and fluoride (10(-2) M) have been studied on the mechanical and electrical activities of rat myometrial strips perfused in Ca2+-free EGTA-containing solutions. All four substances produced maintained contractions which could be initiated repeatedly after exposure to Ca2+-free solution for more than 1 h, without a significant decrease. The largest contractions were obtained with vanadate and the smallest ones with acetylcholine. The tension was usually 7-30% of the control contraction triggered by an action potential in Ca2+ containing solution. Maintained contractions induced by fluoride were unaffected by isoprenaline while those induced by acetylcholine, prostaglandin E2 and vanadate were completely relaxed. Prostaglandin E2- and vanadate-induced contractions were slightly reduced by Na+ removal or by adding Ca2+ antagonists. In contrast, contractions induced by acetylcholine were suppressed in Na+-free solution and largely inhibited in the presence of Ca2+ antagonists. The depolarization induced by acetylcholine in Ca2+-free solution was strongly dependent on the external Na+ concentration. The relationship between the size of the acetylcholine-induced depolarization and the membrane potential (shifted by constant currents) was linear, giving an apparent reversal potential for acetylcholine close to zero potential. In Ca-free solutions and in the presence of atropine, Na+ action potentials of long duration can be evoked which produced contractions of the same order of magnitude as those initiated by acetylcholine-induced depolarizations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Full text

PDF
735

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ashoori F., Tomita T. Mechanical response to noradrenaline in calcium-free solution in the rat vas deferens. J Physiol. 1983 May;338:165–178. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014667. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bolton T. B., Clark J. P. Effects of histamine, high potassium and carbachol on 42K efflux from longitudinal muscle of guinea-pig intestine. J Physiol. 1981 Nov;320:347–361. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1981.sp013954. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bolton T. B., Kitamura K. Evidence that ionic channels associated with the muscarinic receptor of smooth muscle may admit calcium. Br J Pharmacol. 1983 Feb;78(2):405–416. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1983.tb09405.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bolton T. B. Mechanisms of action of transmitters and other substances on smooth muscle. Physiol Rev. 1979 Jul;59(3):606–718. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1979.59.3.606. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bolton T. B. The effects of varying the concentrations of ions in the external solution on the oscillations of the membrane potential (slow waves) produced by carbachol in longitudinal ileal miscle. Pflugers Arch. 1972;335(2):85–96. doi: 10.1007/BF00592036. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brading A. F., Burnett M., Sneddon P. The effect of sodium removal on the contractile response of the guinea-pig taenia coli to carbachol. J Physiol. 1980 Sep;306:411–429. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013404. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Brading A. F., Sneddon P. Evidence for multiple sources of calcium for activation of the contractile mechanism of guinea-pig taenia coli on stimulation with carbachol. Br J Pharmacol. 1980 Oct;70(2):229–240. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1980.tb07928.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Bülbring E., den Hertog A. The action of isoprenaline on the smooth muscle of the guinea-pig taenia coli. J Physiol. 1980 Jul;304:277–296. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013324. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Carsten M. E. Prostaglandins and oxytocin: their effects on uterine smooth muscle. Prostaglandins. 1974 Jan 10;5(1):33–40. doi: 10.1016/s0090-6980(74)80128-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Carsten M. E. Sarcoplasmic reticulum from pregnant bovine uterus; prostaglandins and calcium. Gynecol Invest. 1973;4(2):95–105. doi: 10.1159/000301712. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Casteels R., Raeymaekers L., Suzuki H., Van Eldere J. Tension response and 45Ca release in vascular smooth muscle incubated in Ca-free solution. Pflugers Arch. 1981 Dec;392(2):139–145. doi: 10.1007/BF00581262. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Casteels R., Raeymaekers L. The action of acetylcholine and catecholamines on an intracellular calcium store in the smooth muscle cells of the guinea-pig taenia coli. J Physiol. 1979 Sep;294:51–68. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp012914. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. DiPolo R., Rojas H. R., Beaugé L. Vanadate inhibits uncoupled Ca efflux but not Na--Ca exchange in squid axons. Nature. 1979 Sep 20;281(5728):229–230. doi: 10.1038/281228a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Fay F. S., Shlevin H. H., Granger W. C., Jr, Taylor S. R. Aequorin luminescence during activation of single isolated smooth muscle cells. Nature. 1979 Aug 9;280(5722):506–508. doi: 10.1038/280506a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Fermum R., Meisel P., Klinner U. Versuche zum Wirkungsmechanismus von Gefässspasmolytika. 3. Wirkung von Nitroprussid-Natrium, Nitroglyzerin, Prenylamin und Verapamil an der Fluorid-induzierten Kontraktur isolierter Koronararterien. Acta Biol Med Ger. 1977;36(2):245–255. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Fleckenstein A. Specific pharmacology of calcium in myocardium, cardiac pacemakers, and vascular smooth muscle. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 1977;17:149–166. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pa.17.040177.001053. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Grosset A., Mironneau J. An analysis of the actions of prostaglandin E1 on membrane currents and contraction in uterine smooth muscle. J Physiol. 1977 Sep;270(3):765–784. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1977.sp011981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Grover A. K., Jones T. R., Daniel E. E. Effect of vanadate on rat myometrium plasma membrane enzyme activities. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1980 Oct;58(10):1247–1250. doi: 10.1139/y80-189. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hagiwara S., Nakajima S. Differences in Na and Ca spikes as examined by application of tetrodotoxin, procaine, and manganese ions. J Gen Physiol. 1966 Mar;49(4):793–806. doi: 10.1085/jgp.49.4.793. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Heaslip R. J., Rahwan R. G. Evidence for the existence of two distinct pools of intracellular calcium in the rat aorta accessible to mobilization by norepinephrine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1982 Apr;221(1):7–13. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Lalanne C., Mironneau C., Mironneau J., Savineau J. P. Contractions of rat uterine smooth muscle induced by acetylcholine and angiotensin II in Ca2+-free medium. Br J Pharmacol. 1984 Feb;81(2):317–326. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1984.tb10081.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Malmström K., Carafoli E. Effects of prostaglandins on the interaction of Ca2+ with mitochondria. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1975 Dec;171(2):418–423. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(75)90050-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Mironneau J., Eugene D., Mironneau C. Sodium action potentials induced by calcium chelation in rat uterine smooth muscle. Pflugers Arch. 1982 Nov 11;395(3):232–238. doi: 10.1007/BF00584815. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Mironneau J. Excitation-contraction coupling in voltage clamped uterine smooth muscle. J Physiol. 1973 Aug;233(1):127–141. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010301. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mironneau J., Mironneau C., Grosset A., Hamon G., Savineau J. P. Action of angiotensin II on the electrical and mechanical activity of rat uterine smooth muscle. Eur J Pharmacol. 1980 Dec 5;68(3):275–285. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(80)90525-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Neering I. R., Morgan K. G. Use of aequorin to study excitation--contraction coupling in mammalian smooth muscle. Nature. 1980 Dec 11;288(5791):585–587. doi: 10.1038/288585a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Potreau D., Raymond G. Existence of a sodium-induced calcium release mechanism of frog skeletal muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1982 Dec;333:463–480. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1982.sp014464. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Sakai K., Higuchi K., Yamaguchi T., Uchida M. Oxytocin-induced Ca-free contraction of rat uterine smooth muscle: effects of preincubation with EGTA and drugs. Gen Pharmacol. 1982;13(5):393–400. doi: 10.1016/0306-3623(82)90104-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Szurszewski J. H., Bülbring E. The stimulant action of acetylcholine and catecholamines on the uterus. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1973 Mar 15;265(867):149–156. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1973.0017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Varecka L., Carafoli E. Vanadate-induced movements of Ca2+ and K+ in human red blood cells. J Biol Chem. 1982 Jul 10;257(13):7414–7421. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Vassort G., Rougier O. Membrane potential and slow inward current dependence of frog cardiac mechanical activity. Pflugers Arch. 1972;331(3):191–203. doi: 10.1007/BF00589126. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES