Resolution of the potassium ion pump in muscle fibers using barium ions

When frog sartorius muscles recover from Na enrichment in the presence of external K, net K entry into the fibers occurs by both passive movement and active inward transport via a K pump. Under normal conditions, it has not been possible to experimentally distinguish these processes. Fractionation into the flux components must be accomplished from inferences concerning the K conductance or permeability during a period of rapid Na extrusion. The best estimates indicate that 60-80% of the K entry occurs via the K pump. In the presence of Ba ions, the membrane permeability to K is very much reduced. Under these conditions, Na-enriched muscles underwent a normal recovery in the presence of external K, and the amount of inward K movement due to the K pump rose to over 90% of the total K entry. The characteristics of the K pump studied by this means were: (a) essentially complete inhition by 10(-4) M ouabain, (b) inhibition by [Na], (c) activation by [K] according to a rectangular hyperbola in the absence of [Na], (d) linear activation by [Na]i over a wide range in concentration, (e) zero or undetectably low pumping rate as [Na]i leads to O, (f) the number of Na ions actively transported per K ion actively transported is 1.4-1.7 normally and 1.1 in the presence of Ba.     

Blockers of potassium current and resting membrane potential in rat muscle fibers.

Rat diaphragm fibers were equilibrated for several hours in 150 mM KCl; when they were returned to 5 mM KCl the resting potential went back to its original level with a half time of 17 min. This repolarization was blocked by 5 mM BaCl2, a blocker of the inward rectifier K channel. On the other hand, 0.1 mM apamin and 0.02 mM glibenclamide which block the Ca-dependent and ATP sensitive K channels, respectively, and 0.1 mM 9-AC a blocker of the Cl- channel did not affect the repolarization. 5 mM barium decreased the K conductance measured under current-clamp conditions in diaphragm muscle fibers. The possible role of the inward rectifier system in the repolarization following return to normal [K]o is discussed.     

Amplitude fluctuations in the contractile responses of small fragments of rat papillary muscle

Contractile responses of small rat papillary muscle segments (length = 0.25 mm) superfused in a normal Tyrode's solution (t = 35 degrees C) and stimulated at a frequency of 0.16 Hz have been measured, using an original technique. The amplitude of contractile responses was found to fluctuate with the variation of 3.0 +/- 0.4 mu, though the contraction amplitude of the entire muscle remained constant from beat to beat. After the addition of caffeine (6 mM) the variation of contractile responses decreased up to 0.83--0.03 mu, demonstrating a crucial role of sarcoplasmic reticulum in the phenomenon. It is believed that contractility inhibition during calcium overload may be caused by the same reason.     

Role of calcium ions and spike activity in the neurotrophic control of membrane potential in rat muscle fibers

Blockade of calcium permeability produced an increase in postdenervation depolarization of rat diaphragm muscle fibers during in vitro experiments, while increased Ca²⁺ concentration in the sarcoplasm induced by caffeine led to hyperpolarization of the muscle membrane. Direct stimulation of the muscles or carbamylcholine application retarded the reduction of membrane potential in the muscle fibers. Verapamil and d-tubocurarine eliminated the hyperpolarizing effect of stimulation. The hyperpolarizing effects of carbamylcholine applied in conjunction with stimulation did not produce an accumulated action on the membrane. It is deduced that the factors governing membrane potential in the muscle fibers are acetylcholine and Ca²⁺ reaching the sarcoplasm mainly through the acetylcholine-sensitive ionic channels during the process of nerve impulse fluxes.S. V. Kurashov Medical Institute, Kazan', Ministry of Public Health of the RSFSR. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 449–456, July–August, 1987.     

白藜芦醇甙对大鼠心室乳头状肌动作电位的影响及其离子机制(英文)

有研究表明白藜芦醇甙(polydatin)具有抗缺血性心律失常作用,但其电生理学机制尚未明了。本研究旨在应用细胞内记录和全细胞膜片钳方法,探讨白藜芦醇甙对大鼠心室乳头状肌动作电位的影响及其离子机制。结果显示:(1)白藜芦醇甙(50和100μmol/L)可剂量依赖性地缩短正常乳头状肌动作电位复极化50%时间(APD50)和90%时间(APD90)(P<0.01)。白藜芦醇甙对正常乳头状肌静息电位(resting potential,RP)、动作电位幅值(amplitude of action potential,APA)、超射值(overshoot,OS)和0期最大上升速度(Vmax)无影响(P>0.05)。(2)对部分去极化的乳头状肌,白藜芦醇甙(50μmol/L)不但缩短APD50和APD90,而且还降低动作电位OS、APA和Vmax(P<0.05)。(3)ATP敏感钾通道阻断剂格列本脲(10μmol/L)可部分阻断白藜芦醇甙(50μmol/L)的电生理效应。(4)一氧化氮合酶抑制剂L-NAME(1 mmol/L)对白藜芦醇甙的上述效应无影响。(5)白藜芦醇甙(25、50、75、100μmol/L)可浓度依...     

Effect of potassium ions and membrane potential on the Na-Ca-K exchanger in isolated intact bovine rod outer segments

Two recent studies reported that Na-Ca exchange in the outer segments of tiger salamander rod photoreceptors (Cervetto, L., Lagnado, L., Perry, R. J., Robinson, D. W., and McNaughton, P. A. (1989) Nature 337, 740-743) and of bovine rod photoreceptors (Schnetkamp, P. P. M., Basu, D. K., and Szerencsei, R. T. (1989) Am. J. Physiol. 257, C153-157) requires and transports K+ in a 4Na/(1Ca+1K) stoichiometry. In this study, we have examined the effects of K+ ions and membrane potential on the kinetics of Na-Ca and Ca-Ca exchange in rod outer segments isolated from bovine retinas. The objective was to establish the ion selectivity and voltage dependence of the different cation binding sites on the Na-Ca-K exchange protein. Potassium ions activated Na-Ca exchange when present on the Ca2+ side, although the extent of activation decreased with decreasing Na+ concentration. Potassium ions inhibited Na-Ca exchange when present on the Na+ side; inhibition arose from competition between Na+ and K+ for a common single cation-binding site. Activation of Na-Ca exchange by K+ displayed a different ion selectivity than that observed for inhibition of Na-Ca exchange by K+. The results are interpreted in terms of a three-site model for the rod Na-Ca-K exchanger. The rate of forward Na-Ca exchange decreased by 1.75-fold for a 60 mV depolarization of the plasma membrane but only at lower Na+ concentrations. The rate of Ca-Ca exchange was not affected by changes in membrane potential.     

The independence of membrane potential and potassium activation of the sodium pump in muscle.

The membrane potential (Em) of sartorius muscle fibers was made insensitive to [K+] by equilibration in a 95 mM K+, 120 mM Na+ Ringer solution. Under these conditions a potassium-activated, ouabain-sensitive sodium efflux was observed which had characteristics similar to those seen in muscles with Em sensitive to [K+]. In addition, in the presence of 10 mM K+, these muscles were able to produce a net sodium extrusion against an electrochemical gradient which was also inhibited by 10- minus 4 M oubain. This suggests that the membrane potential does not play a major role in the potassium activation of the sodium pump in muscles.     

Effects of intermittent hypoxia on action potential and contraction in non-ischemic and ischemic rat papillary muscle

Although it has been reported that intermittent hypoxia had the anti-arrhythmia effect, little is known about the effects on the action potential (AP) and contraction of papillary muscle, as well as the mechanism of anti-arrhythmia. The purpose of present study is to observe the effects of intermittent hypoxia on action potential and contraction of papillary muscle in rat left ventricle simultaneously using conventional intracellular microelectrode and contraction recording. The effects of intermittent hypoxia on AP and contraction during ischemic solution perfusion were also investigated. After exposed to intermittent hypoxia (six hours daily) for 42 days (IH42), duration (APD20) of 20%, 50% (APD50) and 90% (APD90) repolarization of AP prolonged significantly compared with animals in control (Con). Effective refractory period (ERP) in IH42 also prolonged significantly. Perfused with mimic ischemic solution, the changes of electric and mechanical activities in IH42 and in 28 days exposure to intermittent hypoxia (IH28) were much smaller than that in Con and IH14. The result of the study suggested that intermittent hypoxia prolonged the APD and ERP, offered the resistance against the ischemic damage on myocardium, which may be the electrophysiological basis of the anti-arrhythmia of intermittent hypoxia.     

The effect of acoustic cavitation on the contraction force and membrane potential of rat papillary muscles

Acoustic cavitation induced by continuous focused ultrasound (1.4 W/cm2, 543 Hz) was found to result in reversible membrane depolarization (by 54 mV), loss of excitability and contracture in the rat papillary muscles. The same intensities of impulse ultrasound had positive inotropic effects.