Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1984 Jul;82(3):615–621. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1984.tb10800.x

Potassium contractures and mechanical activation in rat skeletal muscle: effects of multivalent cations, temperature and tetracaine.

R Anwyl, J D Bruton, J V McLoughlin
PMCID: PMC1987016  PMID: 6743916

Abstract

The effects of cations, temperature and tetracaine on potassium-induced contractures of rat soleus and extensor digitorus longus (e.d.l.) muscles were investigated. In the soleus, the threshold for the potassium contracture was lower (10-20 vs 20-40 mM), the peak amplitude was up to fourteen times larger, and the time course was about one half that in the e.d.l. muscle. The extent of inactivation of a test potassium contracture was directly related to the concentration of potassium in the conditioning solution and the period of exposure. Removal of calcium reduced the amplitude and time course of potassium contractures in both preparations. Addition of cobalt (10 mM) reduced the amplitude but prolonged the time course of contractures. Exposure of muscles to tetracaine (10(-5)-10(-6) M for 30 min) increased, but higher concentrations reduced, the amplitude of potassium contractures. When present for one minute, tetracaine (1 mM) moved the potassium activation curve to higher, and the potassium inactivation curve to lower, potassium concentrations.

Full text

PDF
615

Selected References

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

  1. Almers W., Best P. M. Effects of tetracaine on displacement currents and contraction of frog skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 1976 Nov;262(3):583–611. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011611. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Almers W. Differential effects of tetracaine on delayed potassium channels and displacement currents in frog skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 1976 Nov;262(3):613–637. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011612. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Caputo C., Fernandez de Bolaños P. Membrane potential, contractile activation and relaxation rates in voltage clamped short muscle fibres of the frog. J Physiol. 1979 Apr;289:175–189. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp012731. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Caputo C. The effect of caffeine and tetracaine on the time course of potassium contractures of single muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1976 Feb;255(1):191–207. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011275. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Caputo C. The effect of low temperature on the excitation-contraction coupling phenomena of frog single muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1972 Jun;223(2):461–482. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1972.sp009858. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Caputo C. The time course of potassium contractures of single muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1972 Jun;223(2):483–505. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1972.sp009859. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chiarandini D. J., Stefani E. Effects of manganese on the electrical and mechanical properties of frog skeletal muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1973 Jul;232(1):129–147. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010260. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cota G., Stefani E. Effects of external calcium reduction on the kinetics of potassium contractures in frog twitch muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1981 Aug;317:303–316. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1981.sp013826. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Cota G., Stefani E. External calcium and contractile activation during potassium contractures in twitch muscle fibres of the frog. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1982 Apr;60(4):513–523. doi: 10.1139/y82-071. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. D'Arrigo J. S. Possible screening of surface charges on crayfish axons by polyvalent metal ions. J Physiol. 1973 May;231(1):117–128. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Dulhunty A. F. Slow potassium contractures in mouse limb muscles. J Physiol. 1981 May;314:91–105. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1981.sp013693. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Dörrscheidt-Käfer M. Comparison of the action of La3+ and Ca2+ on contraction threshold and other membrane parameters of frog skeletal muscle. J Membr Biol. 1981;62(1-2):95–103. doi: 10.1007/BF01870203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. FRANK G. B. Effects of changes in extracellular calcium concentration on the potassium-induced contracture of frog's skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 1960 Jun;151:518–538. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1960.sp006457. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. FRANK G. B. Utilization of bound calcium in the action of caffeine and certain multivalent cations on skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 1962 Sep;163:254–268. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1962.sp006972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Foulks J. G., Morishita L. The temperature dependence of ionic influences on contractile function in frog twitch muscle. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1980 Jan;58(1):74–84. doi: 10.1139/y80-013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Frank G. B. The current view of the source of trigger calcium in excitation-contraction coupling in vertebrate skeletal muscle. Biochem Pharmacol. 1980 Sep 15;29(18):2399–2406. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(80)90341-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Frankenhaeuser B., Lännergren J. The effect of calcium on the mechanical response of single twitch muscle fibres of Xenopus laevis. Acta Physiol Scand. 1967 Mar;69(3):242–254. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1967.tb03518.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. HODGKIN A. L., HOROWICZ P. Potassium contractures in single muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1960 Sep;153:386–403. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1960.sp006541. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. LUETTGAU H. C. THE ACTION OF CALCIUM IONS ON POTASSIUM CONTRACTURES OF SINGLE MUSCLE FIBRES. J Physiol. 1963 Oct;168:679–697. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1963.sp007215. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Lüttgau H. C., Oetliker H. The action of caffeine on the activation of the contractile mechanism in straited muscle fibres. J Physiol. 1968 Jan;194(1):51–74. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1968.sp008394. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Lüttgau H. C., Spiecker W. The effects of calcium deprivation upon mechanical and electrophysiological parameters in skeletal muscle fibres of the frog. J Physiol. 1979 Nov;296:411–429. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp013013. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. McDonald T. F., Pelzer D., Trautwein W. Does the calcium current modulate the contraction of the accompanying beat? A study of E-C coupling in mammalian ventricular muscle using cobalt ions. Circ Res. 1981 Sep;49(3):576–583. doi: 10.1161/01.res.49.3.576. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES