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Acetylcholine contracture and excitation-contraction coupling in denervated rat diaphragm muscle

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Summary

Acetylcholine (ACh) contracture of chronically denervated rat diaphragms were studied under different conditions which affect electromechanical coupling.

  1. 1.

    Acetylcholine induced a transient contracture while the membrane potential and the twitch amplitude remained depressed as long as the drug was present.

  2. 2.

    In Tyrode solution with elevated K concentrations, both ACh contractures and twich contractions were diminished or abolished, whereas caffeine was still able to evoke a contracture.

  3. 3.

    In a Ca-free solution, ACh as well as caffeine became ineffective in producing contractures.

  4. 4.

    Manganese depressed both the ACh and caffeine induced contracture, being more effective in the former case.

  5. 5.

    In hypertonic solution and in preparations, in which the T-tubules were disconnected from the plasma membrane by glycerol treatment, acetylcholine failed to initiate contracture, while caffeine could still produce contractures.

These results suggest that ACh induces contracture by release of Ca++ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which is caused by the depolarization of the cell membrane, and that caffein acts directly on this structure.

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Author notes

  1. Satoru Sunano

    Present address: Dept. of Physiology, Sapporo Medical College, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmakologisches Institut der Universität Kiel, Germany

    Heinz Lüllmann & Satoru Sunano

Authors
  1. Heinz Lüllmann
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  2. Satoru Sunano
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Lüllmann, H., Sunano, S. Acetylcholine contracture and excitation-contraction coupling in denervated rat diaphragm muscle. Pflugers Arch. 342, 271–282 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586099

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586099

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