Evidence for an internal mechanism of copper toxicity in aquatic animals.
We exposed frog (Rana pipiens) rectus abdominus muscle to 10(-6) M copper and 10(-5) M acetylcholine separately and in combination to test the hypothesis that copper is directly involved in the muscle spasms of fish dying from exposure to incipient lethal concentrations of copper. Copper alone had little effect but mixtures of copper and acetylcholine caused larger contractions than acetylcholine alone. Exposure of muscle to copper plus acetylcholine for 10-15 min resulted in spontaneous, spasmodic contractions.
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D011894:Rana pipiens
D003300:Copper; D000109:Acetylcholine