Depression of posttetanic twitch potentiation by low calcium and calcium channel antagonists

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if antagonizing extracellular calcium influx altered posttetanic twitch potentiation (PTP). Whole muscles and muscle fiber bundles (less than or equal to 25 fibers) dissected from frog sartorius and semitendinosus muscles were mounted at optimal length in a normal Ringer solution (NR). To determine PTP, isometric twitches were evoked every 10 s (0.1 Hz) before and after a 2.5-s tetanic contraction (80 Hz). To antagonize calcium influx, low-calcium Ringer [LCR, calcium replaced by 3 mM magnesium and 1 mM ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid], NR plus diltiazem (Dilt, 30 microM), NR plus nifedipine (Nif, 10 microM), and NR plus D 600 (30 microM) were also used (n = 8 for each condition). These conditions altered pretetanic twitch tension by only -1.2 +/- 2.4, 4.2 +/- 2.3, 4.7 +/- 3.7, and 1.6 +/- 3.7% (SE), (LCR, Dilt, Nif, and D 600, P greater than 0.05) but caused a noticeable decrease in tension at the end of the tetanus. Under NR conditions, twitches evoked immediately after the tetanus were potentiated by 49.5 +/- 0.4% with the peak rate of tension development (dP/dt) increased by 44.9 +/- 0.5% (P less than 0.05). Antagonizing calcium influx depressed the PTP response by 59.8 +/- 6.2, 55.9 +/- 10.1, 73.2 +/- 6.8, and 29.8 +/- 3.6% (P less than 0.05) and increased dP/dt by 65.8 +/- 11.1, 45.7 +/- 8.6, 55.6 +/- 4.4% and 49.0 +/- 10.5% (P less than 0.05). Addition of drugs immediately after the tetanus only slightly reduced PTP but accelerated recovery of the twitch.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)