title: Interactions of calcium channel blockers with non-depolarising muscle relaxants in vitro.
abstract: The effects of two calcium channel blockers (verapamil and nicardipine) on indirectly elicited muscle twitch and possible interactions between these drugs and non-depolarising muscle relaxants (vecuronium, atracurium, pancuronium) were investigated using isolated rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparations. Both verapamil 10(-5) M and nicardipine 10(-6) M caused significant depression of twitch amplitude. Verapamil significantly increased vecuronium- and atracurium-induced neuromuscular block, but not that produced by pancuronium. Nicardipine potentiated atracurium-induced neuromuscular block but had no effect on pancuronium- and vecuronium-induced twitch depression. Neostigmine 10(-6) M did not produce any significant changes in the maximal recovery of twitch depression induced with calcium channel blockers and muscle relaxants combinations; also, neostigmine had no effect on maximal recovery time of twitch depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara University, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sekerci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tulunay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001279:Atracurium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D008297:Male; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000187:drug effects*; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009529:Nicardipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010197:Pancuronium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D014673:Vecuronium Bromide / Q000494:pharmacology; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D003473:Neuromuscular Nondepolarizing Agents; D001279:Atracurium; D014673:Vecuronium Bromide; D014700:Verapamil; D009529:Nicardipine; D010197:Pancuronium