title: Effects of pharmacological preconditioning with U50488H on calcium homeostasis in rat ventricular myocytes subjected to metabolic inhibition and anoxia.
abstract: 1. The effects of pharmacological preconditioning with U50488H (U(50)), a selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, on Ca(2+) homeostasis in rat ventricular myocytes subjected for 9 min to metabolic inhibition (MI) and anoxia (A), consequences of ischaemia, were studied and compared with those of preconditioning with brief periods of MI/A. 2. Precondition with 30 micro M of U(50) for three cycles of 1 min each cycle separated by 3 min of recovery (UP) significantly increased the percentage of non-blue cells following MI/A. The effect of UP is the same as that of preconditioning with an inhibitor of glycolysis and an oxygen scavenger for three 1-min cycles separated by three-minute recovery (MI/AP). The results indicate that like MI/AP, UP also confers cardioprotection. 3. MI/A increased intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) and reduced the amplitude of caffeine-induced [Ca(2+)](i) transients, an indication of Ca(2+) content in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). MI/A also reduced the electrically-induced [Ca(2+)](i) transient, that indicates Ca(2+)-release during excitation-contraction coupling, and Ca(2+) sparks in unstimulated myocytes, that indicates spontaneous Ca(2+)-release from SR. It also prolonged the decline of the electrically-induced [Ca(2+)](i) transient and slowed down the recovery of the electrically-induced [Ca(2+)](i) transient after administration of caffeine. In addition, MI/A prolonged the decline of caffeine induced [Ca(2+)](i) transient, an indication of Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange activity, and UP prevented it. So UP, that confers cardioprotection, prevented the changes induced by MI/A. With the exception of Ca(2+)-spark, which was not studied, the effects of MI/AP are the same as those of UP. 4. It is concluded that pharmacological preconditioning with U(50), that confers immediate cardioprotection, prevents changes of Ca(2+) homeostasis altered by MI/A in the rat heart. This may be responsible, at least partly, for the cardioprotective action. 5. The study also provided evidence that MI/A causes mobilization of Ca(2+) from SR to cytoplasm causing Ca(2+)-overload which may be due to reduced Ca(2+)-uptake by SR. MI/A also reduces spontaneous and electrically induced Ca(2+) release from SR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: J C S
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: K W L
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kam
authors.forename: J S K
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sham
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D019900:3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000502:physiology; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa / Q000819:agonists; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D002110:Caffeine; D019900:3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D002118:Calcium