title: alpha-Sympathomimetic amines and calcium-mediated action potentials in guinea-pig ventricular muscle.
abstract: 1 The ability of amines, having alpha- or alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor stimulating activity, to restore excitability and contractility in heart preparations partially depolarized by potassium, was investigated in guinea-pig ventricular muscle in order to elucidate the mechanism of the positive inotropic effect mediated via alpha-adrenoceptors. 2 In preparations in which fast sodium channels were inactivated by K+-rich medium (22 mM) slow electrical responses as well as contractions were consistently induced by high concentrations of phenylephrine (10(-4) to 3 X 10(-4) M) and synephrine (3 X 10(-4) M). 3 The restorative effective effects of both phenylephrine and synephrine were unaffected by phentolamine (10(-5) M) but were readily abolished by practolol (10(-5) M) or sotalol (10(-5) M). 4 Methoxamine induced a dose-dependent positive inotropic effect in ventricular strips paced at 0.5 Hz in normal Tyrode solution; the maximum increase in contractile tension was obtained with methoxamine 10(-4) M. However, at the same concentration, the amine did not induce slow electrical responses in potassium-depolarized preparations. 5 It is concluded that the induction of slow responses by phenylephrine and synephrine is due to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, and that the increase in cardiac contractility caused by alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation does not involve an increase in slow inward calcium current.
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005711:Gallopamil / Q000494:pharmacology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008729:Methoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D011217:Practolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism; D013566:Sympathomimetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013578:Synephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D013566:Sympathomimetics; D010656:Phenylephrine; D005711:Gallopamil; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D004492:Edetic Acid; D012964:Sodium; D008729:Methoxamine; D007545:Isoproterenol; D013578:Synephrine; D011188:Potassium; D011217:Practolol; D002118:Calcium