title: Effects of cocaine on sarcoplasmic reticulum in skinned rat heart muscle.
abstract: We examined the effects of cocaine on the ability of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to release and accumulate Ca2+ and on the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile proteins using chemically skinned rat left ventricular muscles. The preparations were treated with saponin (40 micrograms/ml for Ca2+ release and uptake studies and 200 micrograms/ml for Ca(2+)-tension experiments). The SR was loaded with 10(-6) M Ca2+ solution; SR Ca2+ release was induced by application of 5 or 25 mM caffeine. The amount of Ca2+ released from the SR was estimated by the area under the caffeine-induced transient contraction. After 1 min of SR Ca2+ loading, simultaneous application of 50 microM cocaine and 5 mM caffeine increased caffeine-induced Ca2+ release by 15.7 +/- 3.1% (P < 0.05). However, when Ca(2+)-loaded preparations were treated with cocaine for 1 min before application of 5 mM caffeine, caffeine-induced Ca2+ release was reduced by 17.1 +/- 3.0% (P < 0.05). When cocaine was applied during the Ca2+ loading periods, the amount of Ca2+ accumulated by the SR (the area under the 25 mM caffeine-induced contraction) increased for both 1-min (10.9 +/- 1.7%, P < 0.05) and 3-min (15.5 +/- 4.4%, P < 0.05) Ca2+ loading periods. Cocaine (50 microM) had no effect on the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile system. We conclude that cocaine at a concentration of 50 microM can directly alter the ability of the SR to release and accumulate Ca2+. These effects of cocaine, especially those on SR Ca2+ release, may play a role in its potential for induction of cardiac toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida 33101.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bassett
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Myerburg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012503:Saponins; D002110:Caffeine; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D003042:Cocaine; D002118:Calcium