CALMODULIN ANTAGONISTS EFFECT ON Ca2+ LEVEL IN THE MITOCHONDRIA AND CYTOPLASM OF MYOMETRIUM CELLS

It is known that Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of this cation exchange in mitochondria is carried out with participation of calmodulin. We had shown in a previous work using two experimental models: isolated mitochondria and intact myometrium cells, that calmodulin antagonists reduce the level of mitochondrial membrane polarization. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of calmodulin antagonists on the level of ionized Ca in mitochondria and cytoplasm of uterine smooth muscle cells using spectrofluorometry and confocal microscopy. It was shown that myometrium mitochondria, in the presence of ATP and MgCl2 in the incubation medium, accumulate Ca ions in the matrix. Incubation of mitochondria in the presence of CCCP inhibited cation accumulation, but did not cease it. Calmodulin antagonist such as trifluoperazine (100 μm) considerably increased the level of ionized Ca in the mitochondrial matrix. Preliminary incubation of mitochondria with 100 μM Ca2+, before adding trifluoperazine to the incubation medium, partly prevented influence of the latter on the cation level in the matrix. Incubation of myometrium cells (primary culture) with another calmodulin antagonist calmidazolium (10 μM was accompanied by depolarization of mitochondrial membrane and an increase in the concentration of ionized Ca in cytoplasm. Thus, using two models, namely, isolated mitochondria and intact myometrium cells, it has been shown that calmodulin antagonists cause depolarization of mitochondrial membranes and an increase of the ionized Ca concentration in both the mitochondrial matrix and the cell cytoplasm.