Ethanol inhibition of spontaneous calcium release from isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum

Ethanol, in vitro, decreases muscle fiber twitch tension by a mechanism unrelated to the electrical events of the motor end-plate or muscle surface membranes, an effect which may be attributable to a primary ethanol effect on the calcium release process of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In this study, ethanol was found to progressively decrease a form of calcium release from isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles seen after calcium loading in high-phosphate media (spontaneous calcium release). Elevated extravesicular free calcium concentrations are known to inhibit spontaneous calcium release, and the ability of sarcoplasmic reticulum to achieve and maintain submicromolar extravesicular free calcium concentrations in the presence of ethanol was therefore determined. Ethanol had no effect on the low extravesicular free calcium concentrations achieved by isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum, and had no effect on residual ATPase activity remaining after cessation of calcium pumping. This latter result suggests that efflux of vesicular calcium and persistent calcium reaccumulation do not occur in the presence of ethanol. These results suggest that ethanol-induced depression of spontaneous calcium release is not attributable to ethanol effects on sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane calcium leakage or on sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pumping. Ethanol inhibition of spontaneous calcium release from isolated sarcopasmic reticulum may reflect an effect of ethanol on the calcium release process in intact muscle fibers responsible for ethanol-induced decreases in muscle fiber twitch tension.