title: Caffeine depression of spontaneous activity in rabbit sino-atrial node cells.
abstract: 1. Effects of caffeine on the action potentials and the membrane currents in spontaneously beating rabbit sino-atrial (SA) node cells were examined using a two-microelectrode technique. 2. Cumulative administrations of caffeine (1-10 mM) caused a negative chronotropic effect in a concentration-dependent manner, which was not modified by atropine (0.1 microM). At 10 mM, caffeine increased the amplitude and prolonged the duration of action potentials significantly; the other parameters were unaffected. 3. In 3 of 16 preparations, caffeine (5 mM) elicited arrhythmia. At high Ca2+ (8.1 mM), caffeine (5 mM) increased the incidence of arrhythmia. 4. Caffeine (0.5-10 mM) enhanced the slow inward current, but at 10 mM decreased the enhanced peak current by 5 mM. The hyperpolarization-activated inward current was also enhanced by caffeine, but 10 mM caffeine decreased the current peak as compared with that at 5 mM. In addition, caffeine inhibited the delayed rectifying outward current in a concentration-dependent manner, accompanied by a depressed activation curve without any shift in the half-maximum activation voltage. 5. Caffeine elevated the cytoplasmic Ca2+ level in the SA node cells loaded with Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent dye (fura-2). 6. These results suggest that caffeine enhances and/or inhibits the ionic currents and elicits arrhythmia due to the induction of cellular calcium overload.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nara Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Satoh
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects; D008839:Microelectrodes; D011817:Rabbits; D012849:Sinoatrial Node / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D002110:Caffeine; D002118:Calcium