Caffeine rapid cooling contractures and negative force staircase in rat papillary muscle

In rat papillary muscle, rapid cooling causes membrane depolarization which initiates action potentials that lead to a contraction. This rapid cooling contraction (RCC) can be blocked by TTX, Mn2+, Ni2+ or high K+ superfusion. In the presence of caffeine (0.5-1 mM), the rapid cooling contracture (caffeine-RCC) has an amplitude similar to that of a twitch elicited by field stimulation at 37 degrees C, but is not inhibited by these agents. As the caffeine-RCC appears to be independent of membrane depolarization and Ca influx but can be inhibited by increasing the bathing caffeine concentration to 20 mM, we consider that the amplitude of this contracture gives a good indication of the calcium content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). In Tyrode containing 1.8 mM Ca an increased stimulus frequency leads to a negative force staircase which is paralleled by a similar decrease in the amplitude of the caffeine-RCC. These effects are lost if the bathing Ca is reduced (0.18-0.45 mM) in a way which can be reversed by isoproterenol (100 nM). In verapamil (2 microM), however whilst the twitch responses may show a steeper dependence upon stimulus frequency, the negative frequency dependence of the caffeine-RCC is also lost. Low external Na+ also inhibits the frequency dependent reduction of the caffeine-RCC. The results suggest that if the amplitude of the caffeine-RCC is a good indication of the SR calcium content, then this Ca store is related reciprocally to membrane Ca current where activation of the Ca channels leads to a depletion of the store whereas inhibition of membrane Ca channels leads to a filling of the Ca store. We propose that on stimulation the size of the Ca influx determines the fraction of Ca released from the SR. This released Ca may be partially extruded from the cell by way of the Na/Ca exchange which acts in competition with the re-uptake mechanism of the SR to control SR Ca content.