THE EFFECTS OF RYANODINE AND CAFFEINE ON CA-ACTIVATED CURRENT IN GUINEA-PIG VENTRICULAR MYOCYTES

1. Action potentials from guinea-pig ventricular myocytes were interrupted by application of a 300 ms voltage clamp to -40 mV in order to evoke the Ca-activated tail current which is thought to be carried by Na:Ca exchange. Stimulation frequency was 1 Hz and temperature 36°C. 2. The actions of ryanodine (1 μM and 10 μM) and caffeine (1 mM and 10 mM) on Ca-activated tail currents were investigated. 3. Exposure to 10 mM caffeine and ryanodine reduced tail currents associated with very abbreviated (12 ms duration) action potentials and greatly reduced the difference between first and steady-state tail currents at this action potential duration. These observations were interpreted in terms of suppression of Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) stores. 4. Tail current decay during the voltage clamp is thought to reflect the fall in [Ca](i) which accompanies muscle relaxation. Current decay is dependent on Ca extrusion via Na:Ca exchange and on Ca accumulation by the SR stores. Time constants of tail current decay were seen to decrease with increasing action potential duration. This relationship was not affected by 1 mM caffeine or 1 μM ryanodine. Ryanodine at 10 μM and 10 mM caffeine abolished this relationship and increased the time constants of current decay. An increase in the time constant of tail current decay was thought to reflect a reduction in the rate of Ca accumulation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. 5. The actions of caffeine and ryanodine on the Ca-activated tail currents are consistent with a dose-dependent leakage of Ca from the SR CA stores. The Ca-activated tail current appears to be a useful tool in the study of Ca homeostasis.