title: The effects of low sodium solutions on intracellular calcium concentration and tension in ferret ventricular muscle.
abstract: Papillary muscles from the right ventricles of ferrets were micro-injected with the photoprotein aequorin. Both tension and the light emitted by the aequorin, which is a measure of the free intracellular Ca concentration [( Ca2+]i), were monitored. Exposure of the papillary muscle to a solution in which all the Na had been replaced by K (0 Na(K) solution) resulted in an increase in tension which subsequently slowly decreased. This contracture was associated with a large increase in [Ca2+]i followed by a decrease to a steady-state-level which was often significantly greater than that in Na-containing solutions. If choline, Li or Tris was used instead of K as a substitute for Na, both the contracture and the associated increase of [Ca2+]i were reduced. The effects of depolarization alone (by raising external K at constant Na concentration) were compared with those of Na removal alone (at constant external K concentration). Na removal contributes more than depolarization to the effects of a Na-free, K-containing solution on the contracture and rise of [Ca2+]i. Increasing intracellular Na concentration [( Na+]i), by exposure to strophanthidin (10 mumol/l), increased the magnitude of both the contracture and [Ca2+]i in 0 Na(K) solutions. Conversely, decreasing [Na+]i by exposure to a solution containing a decreased extracellular Na concentration [( Na+]o), decreased the contracture and [Ca2+]i. When contractures were produced by solutions with various [Na+]o, the size of the resulting contracture and [Ca2+]i were inversely related to [Na+]o. No contracture was seen unless [Na+]o was reduced to below 70 mmol/l. A decrease in the extracellular Ca concentration [( Ca2+]o) from 2 to 0.5 mmol/l or an increase to 8 mmol/l produced, respectively, large decreases and increases of the twitch and accompanying Ca transient. However, if [Ca2+]o was changed at the same time as Na was replaced by K there was little effect on either the contracture or the rise of [Ca2+]i. If [Ca2+]o was changed before replacing Na by K then increasing [Ca2+]o from 2 to 8 mmol/l decreased, and decreasing [Ca2+]o from 2 to 0.5 mmol/l increased, the rise of [Ca2+]i produced by replacing Na by K. The difference between this result and that obtained when [Ca2+]o was changed at the same time as Na was removed may be due to changes of [Na+]i produced by prolonged exposure to an altered [Ca2+]o.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000331:Aequorin / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002335:Carnivora / Q000502:physiology*; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D005289:Ferrets / Q000502:physiology*; D005711:Gallopamil / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D012964:Sodium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013327:Strophanthidin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005711:Gallopamil; D002110:Caffeine; D000331:Aequorin; D013327:Strophanthidin; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium