title: Rat atrial muscle responses with caffeine: dose-response, force frequency, and postrest contractions.
abstract: Caffeine has been reported to have a positive and (or) a negative inotropic effect on cardiac muscle. In this study, the force-frequency and postrest characteristics of rat atrium were studied in the presence of caffeine (1.0-10 mM) to see if the interval between beats affected the response of cardiac muscle to caffeine. When stimulation frequency was 0.5 or 2.0 Hz, there was a positive followed by a negative inotropic response with 1, 5, or 10 mM caffeine. Incomplete relaxation occurred under these circumstances, giving rise to contracture. At low frequency of stimulation (0.1 Hz) caffeine had only a negative inotropic effect, and this effect was greater with 1 mM caffeine than with 5 mM caffeine. In the absence of caffeine, when stimulation at 0.5 or 3 Hz was interrupted, a pause of 2-20 s resulted in potentiation. When caffeine was present (2.0 mM), postrest potentiation was severely attenuated, but the steady-state contraction amplitude within the range 0.5-3.0 Hz was not different. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that caffeine induces a leak of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and this Ca2+ is extruded from the cell, possibly by Na+/Ca2+ exchange. Sarcoplasmic reticular uptake of Ca2+ and the translocation to release sites appear not to be affected by caffeine within 1-5 mM concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physiology, University of Calgary, Alta., Canada.
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: MacIntosh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Posner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lobo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harms
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000187:drug effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine; D002118:Calcium