Effects of external cadmium ions on excitation-contraction coupling in rat soleus fibres

The actions of external Cd2+ on the twitch and tetanic contractions, action potentials and potassium (K+) contractures of rat soleus muscle fibre bundles have been investigated. Cd2+ at 1-1.5 mM did not significantly alter tetanic tension, but increased twitch tension and increased the duration and overshoot of action potentials. At >/=3 mM, Cd2+ (1) depressed tetanic contractions and initially potentiated but later depressed twitches, (2) abolished the action potential overshoot, and (3) shifted peak K+ contracture tension to more positive membrane potentials. Twitch and tetanic contractions, and action potentials remained depressed when Cd2+ was washed out of the bath. The effects of Cd2+ on the twitch, tetanus and action potential were mimicked by Zn2+, while La3+ and Co2+ at 3 mM - or Mg2+ and Ca2+ at 30 mM - depressed peak twitch and tetanic tension, but did not potentiate twitches. The results suggest that: (1) Cd2+ and Zn2+ potentiate twitch tension by prolonging action potential depolarisation; (2) Cd2+ depresses twitch and tetanic tension by reducing the action potential overshoot, and causing a positive shift in the voltage dependence of contraction; and (3) the irreversible depression of action potential amplitude in rat soleus muscle is a specific property of Cd2+ and Zn2+ that is not shared by Co2+, Mg2+ or Ca2+.