title: Effects of dantrolene on myoplasmic free [Ca2+] measured in vivo in patients susceptible to malignant hyperthermia.
abstract: Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a genetic disease characterized by hypermetabolism in skeletal muscle following a triggering stimulus and can be reversed or pretreated with dantrolene sodium. The myoplasmic free [Ca2+] was measured, using Ca2+ selective microelectrodes in vivo in the superficial fibers of the sartorius muscle of eight MH-susceptible and eight control subjects. Both groups received continuous epidural anesthesia with chloroprocaine 3%. In both the control and MH muscle fibers, the myoplasmic free [Ca2+] was measured before and after the intravenous administration of a cumulative dantrolene dose of 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 mg/kg. The mean resting myoplasmic free [Ca2+] was 0.112 +/- 0.004 microM (mean +/- SEM n = 32) in the control and 0.485 +/- 0.022 microM (n = 33) in the MH subjects. In the MH subjects, dantrolene induced a dose-dependent reduction in myoplasmic free [Ca2+]. The 0.5-mg/kg dose reduced it to 0.326 +/- 0.017 microM (n = 22), the 1.5-mg/kg dose to 0.233 +/- 0.015 microM (n = 25), and the 2.5-mg/kg dose to 0.092 +/- 0.008 microM (n = 26). In controls, dantrolene also reduced resting myoplasmic free [Ca2+] but to a lesser extent. The 0.5-mg/kg dose reduced it to 0.096 +/- 0.004 microM (n = 22), the 1.5-mg/kg dose to 0.077 +/- 0.003 microM (n = 23), and the 2.5-mg/kg dose to 0.068 +/- 0.002 microM (n = 27). The results of the study extend our previous findings in humans and swine and demonstrate that it is possible to measure myoplasmic free [Ca2+] in vivo in humans.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Instituto Venezuelano de Investigaciones Cientificas, Centro de Biofisica y Bioquimica, Caracas.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gerardi
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D003620:Dantrolene / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006801:Humans; D008305:Malignant Hyperthermia / Q000378:metabolism*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D008839:Microelectrodes; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003620:Dantrolene; D002118:Calcium