Pflügers Archiv

, Volume 400, Issue 3, pp 269–273 | Cite as

Caffeine contractures in denervated frog muscle

  • B. A. Kotsias
  • R. A. Venosa
  • P. Horowicz
Excitable Tissues and Central Nervous Physiology
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Caffeine contracture tension, effect of caffeine on the resting membrane potential, and caffeine influx in normal and denervated frog sartorius muscle have been investigated. Peak caffeine contracture tension is increased after denervation at all caffeine concentrations. The percentage increases in tension are highest for lower caffeine concentrations. The caffeine concentration required for half maximum tension is decreased from about 3.6 mM in control muscles to 2.6 mM in denervated muscles. Caffeine at 3.5 mM produces a depolarization of about 6 mV in control muscles and 16 mV in denervated muscles. The large contracture tensions observed in denervated muscles are not due to the greater depolarization produced by the drug in denervated muscles since innervated muscles depolarized to the same level by external K+ do not enhance caffeine contracture tension. Both control and denervated muscles are highly permeable to caffeine. The increases in sarcoplasmic reticulum development (Moscatello et al. 1965) and calcium content (Picken and Kirby 1976) promoted by denervation may explain the larger tension elicited by caffeine in denervated muscles.

Key words

Frog muscle denervation Caffeine contractures Resting potential Caffeine influx 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 1984

Authors and Affiliations

  • B. A. Kotsias
    • 1
  • R. A. Venosa
    • 1
  • P. Horowicz
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PhysiologyUniversity of Rochester, School of Medicine and DentistryRochesterUSA

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