Abstract

In the pregnant rat myometrium, an averaged 30% of inositol phosphate accumulation induced by carbachol and oxytocin was inhibited by oxodipine indicating that a part of receptor-mediated generation of inositol phosphates depended on Ca++ influx through voltage-gated Ca++ channels. In fura-2-loaded cells, carbachol and oxytocin caused a two-phase [Ca++]i response, made up of a transient [Ca++]i peak of about 700 nM followed by a sustained phase of about 120 nM. Oxodipine reduced the [Ca++]i peak by 40% and the plateau phase by 50%, pointing to a contribution of Ca++ influx in both the [Ca++]i peak and sustained phase. Isoproterenol reduced inositol phosphate response to carbachol and oxytocin to an amount equivalent to that elicited by oxodipine. No additional reduction could be obtained in a combination of isoproterenol and oxodipine. Isoproterenol decreased by 40% the [Ca++]i peak and by 70% the [Ca++]i plateau phase. Differently from isoproterenol, forskolin did not affect inositol phosphate accumulation induced by oxytocin and failed to attenuate the [Ca++]i peak. The inhibitory effect of isoproterenol on both inositol phosphate accumulation and [Ca++]i increase induced by oxytocin was abolished by pertussis toxin. These data suggest that beta adrenergic receptor activation is linked via a cAMP-independent, pertussis toxin-sensitive process to an activation of K+ channels, as revealed by use of selective K+ channel antagonists, with the consequent closure of voltage-gated Ca++ channels, resulting in the inhibition of the Ca(++)-associated generation of inositol phosphates.