Some electrical properties of human pregnant myometrium

Membrane properties of the human pregnant myometrium were investigated with the conventional microelectrode and patch clamp methods. The majority of preparations produced spontaneous action potentials at a very low frequency, and action potentials were inhibited in sodium-deficient or calcium-free solutions. With the patch clamp technique with 120 mmol/L cesium-20 mmol/L tetraethylammonium in the pipette, the inward current was evoked by a depolarizing pulse above -40 mV from a holding potential of -60 mV and maximum amplitude was obtained at 0 mV. At a holding potential of -100 mV, the inward current could be evoked with less positive depolarizing pulses, and the membrane potential that evoked the maximum amplitude of inward current was shifted to a more negative potential. Single-channel current recording revealed that two types of calcium channels existed in human pregnant myometrium, with single-channel conductances of 12 and 29 pS. One of the calcium channels (12 pS) was inactivated at a holding potential of -60 mV.