title: Studies on mercury-induced myotonia in the mouse diaphragm.
abstract: Muscle contracture and myotonia of mouse diaphragm, induced by HgCl2, were studied. HgCl2 induced myotonia of mouse diaphragm only on condition that the Hg2+ contracture was inhibited by 0.005-0.01 mM NaCN. A higher concentration of 0.05 mM NaCN abolished both the Hg2+ contracture and Hg2+ myotonia. This finding suggests that the Hg2+ contracture masked the Hg2+ myotonia which was less sensitive to the inhibitory action of NaCN. This differential inhibitory action of NaCN on Hg2+ contracture from Hg2+ myotonia implies a possibility that NaCN antagonized the actions of HgCl2 not only through a simple chemical interaction. Hg2+ myotonia was characterized by an increase in contractile amplitude and a prolongation of contractile duration which were associated with stimulus-bound repetitive action potentials and an increase in membrane input resistance. A low Cl- medium as well as a Cl- channel blocker (9-anthracene carboxylic acid) not only by themselves induced myotonia, but also antagonized Hg2+ myotonia. Thus, Hg2+ appeared to mimic the Cl- channel blocker in inducing myotonia through a blockade of the Cl- channel. K+ channel blockers (4-aminopyridine, uranyl nitrate and tetraethylammonium chloride), as well as low (0.25 mM) Ca2+ Krebs, augmented Hg2+ myotonia while ATP-sensitive K+ channel blockers (tolbutamide and glibenclamide) antagonized Hg2+ myotonia (in the presence of NaCN). Since glibenclamide did not affect myotonia induced by a Cl- channel blocker, it was suggested that glibenclamide inhibited the Hg2+ myotonia through an interaction either directly or indirectly with NaCN on the sarcolemma. All of these findings suggest that K+ channels (delayed rectifier and Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel) functionally cooperated with the Cl- channel of the sarcolemma in the regulation of the skeletal muscle contraction. In this study, K+ channel blockers synergistically cooperated with Cl- channel blockers in inducing myotonia of the mouse diaphragm, while an ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker exerted only an opposite effect on NaCN. Ca2+ appeared to play an important role in regulating the ionic channel activities, especially the Cl- channel, since low Ca2+ markedly potentiated not only Hg2+ but also low Cl- in inducing myotonia.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Republic of China.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lin-Shiau
mesh_terms: D015761:4-Aminopyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002712:Chlorides / Q000502:physiology; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005905:Glyburide / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008628:Mercury / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009222:Myotonia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000187:drug effects*; D012966:Sodium Cyanide / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D002712:Chlorides; D015221:Potassium Channels; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D015761:4-Aminopyridine; D008628:Mercury; D012966:Sodium Cyanide; D005905:Glyburide; D002118:Calcium