L-Type Calcium Channels and Adrenomedullary Secretion. In: Morad M, Nayler WG, Kazda S, Schramm M, editors. The Calcium Channel: Structure, Function and Implications. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 1988. pp. 347-62. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-73914-9_29]

Diadenosine tetraphosphate is co-released with ATP and catecholamines from bovine adrenal medulla

Secretion of adenosine(5')tetraphospho(5')adenosine (Ap4A) and ATP from perfused bovine adrenal glands stimulated with acetylcholine or elevated potassium levels was measured and compared with that of catecholamines. We have found a close correlation between the release of Ap4A and catecholamines elicited with all the secretagogues used in the presence of either Ca2+ or Ba2+, suggesting co-release of both constituents from the chromaffin granules. By contrast, ATP secretion, as measured with luciferase, showed a significantly different time course regardless of the secretagogue used. ATP secretion consistently decreased after 1-2 min of stimulation at a time when Ap4A and catecholamine secretions were still increasing. Measures of degradation of injected [3H]ATP to the gland during stimulation showed little difference in the level of uptake or decomposition of ATP throughout the pulse. However, a reexamination of ATP secretion by monitoring its products of degradation (AMP, adenosine, and inosine) by HPLC techniques showed that Ap4A, ATP, and catecholamines are indeed secreted in parallel from the perfused adrenal gland.

A dihydropyridine-resistant component in the rat adrenal secretory response to splanchnic nerve stimulation

A study of the effects of dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel modulators on the release of catecholamines from perfused rat adrenal glands, evoked by electrical stimulation of their splanchnic nerves, is presented. Electrically mediated secretory responses were compared to chemically mediated responses (exogenous acetylcholine, nicotine, or high K+). Intensities of stimuli were selected to produce quantitatively similar secretory responses (between 100 and 200 ng per stimulus). The main finding of the study is that responses to transmural stimulation (300 pulses at 1 or 10 Hz) and to acetylcholine were inhibited only partially (about 50%) by isradipine, an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker. In contrast, responses to high K+ (17.5 mM for 2 min) were highly sensitive to isradipine (IC50 = 8.2 nM). Responses to nicotine were also fully inhibited by this drug. Bay K 8644 (an L-type Ca2+ channel activator) potentiated mildly the secretory responses to electrical stimulation at 10 Hz and to acetylcholine, but increased threefold the responses to K+ and nicotine. It is, therefore, likely that responses mediated by high K+ or nicotinic receptors are triggered by external Ca2+ gaining access to the internal secretory machinery through L-type, dihydropyridine-sensitive voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. However, in addition to nicotinic receptors, the physiological stimulation of adrenal medulla chromaffin cells through splanchnic nerves has other components, i.e., muscarinic receptor stimulation or the release of cotransmitters such as vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. The poorer sensitivity to dihydropyridines of secretory responses triggered by electrical stimulation of splanchnic nerve terminals or exogenous acetylcholine speaks in favor of alternative Ca2+ pathways, probably some dihydropyridine-resistant Ca2+ channels, in modulating the physiological adrenal catecholamine secretory process.

Separation of two pathways for calcium entry into chromaffin cells

1. The effects of various drugs on 45Ca + 40Ca uptake into cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells evoked by 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (DMPP) or high K, were studied. In the presence of 1 mM external 40Ca, with 45Ca as a radiotracer, unstimulated cells took up an average of 0.13 fmol/cell 40Ca and 772 c.p.m./10(6) cells of 45Ca (n = 76). Upon stimulation with DMPP (100 microM for 60 s) or K (59 mM for 60 s), Ca uptake increased to 0.92 and 1 fmol/cell, respectively. 2. Flunarizine behaved as a potent blocker of both DMPP- and K-evoked Ca uptake (IC50 of 1.76 and 1.49 microM, respectively for DMPP and K). A similar picture emerged with Cd ions, though Cd exhibited an IC50 against K (1.86 microM) slightly lower than the IC50 against DMPP (8.14 microM). 3. Clear cut differences were observed with amiloride, guanethidine, nimodipine and nisoldipine which behaved as selective blockers of DMPP-mediated Ca uptake responses: IC50 values to block DMPP effects were 290, 27, 1.1 and 1.63 microM respectively for amiloride, guanethidine, nimodipine and nisoldipine. Amiloride blocked K-evoked Ca uptake by only 35% and guanethidine did not affect it. Nisoldipine inhibited K-evoked Ca uptake only partially at low concentrations (about 30%); a second blocking component was observed at the highest concentration used (10 microM). At 10 microM, nimodipine blocked K-evoked Ca uptake by 50%. 4. Thus, it seems that the nicotinic receptor mediated Ca uptake pathway can be pharmacologically separated from the K-activated pathway. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that in cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells, stimulation of nicotinic receptors recruits a single type of Ca channel which is sensitive to flunarizine, Cd, amiloride, guanethidine, nimodipine and nisoldipine. The results also suggest that K depolarization might be recruiting in addition to this channel, another Ca channel which is highly sensitive to Cd and flunarizine, resistant to nisoldipine, nimodipine and amiloride, and insensitive to guanethidine.

Functional aspects of calcium channels of splanchnic neurons and chromaffin cells of the rat adrenal medulla

Effects of the inorganic calcium channel blockers zinc, manganese, cadmium, and nickel on secretion of catecholamines from the perfused adrenal gland of the rat were investigated. Secretion of catecholamines evoked by splanchnic nerve stimulation (1 and 10 Hz) was not affected by nickel (100 microM), partially blocked (50%) by cadmium (100 microM), and almost completely blocked (90%) by zinc (1 mM) or manganese (2 mM). A combination of nickel and cadmium inhibited nerve stimulation-evoked secretion by 80-90%. Catecholamine secretion evoked by direct stimulation of chromaffin cells by acetylcholine (50 micrograms), nicotine (5 microM), muscarine (50 micrograms), and K+ (17.5 mM) was not blocked by either cadmium, nickel, or their combination. However, zinc and manganese almost abolished nicotine- and K(+)-evoked secretion of catecholamines. None of the above agents had any effect on the secretion evoked by muscarine. Acetylcholine-evoked secretion of catecholamines was only partially reduced (50%) by zinc and manganese. We draw the following conclusions from the above findings: (a) cadmium plus nickel selectively blocks the calcium channels of splanchnic neurons but has no effect on calcium channels of the chromaffin cells; (b) zinc and manganese do not discriminate between calcium channels of neurons and calcium channels of chromaffin cells; (c) partial inhibition of acetylcholine-evoked secretion by inorganic calcium channel blockers is consistent with the idea that activation of nicotinic receptors increases Ca2+ influx, and activation of muscarinic receptors mobilizes intracellularly bound Ca2+, which is not affected by calcium channel blockers.

(+)-isradipine but not (-)-Bay-K-8644 exhibits voltage-dependent effects on cat adrenal catecholamine release

1. Catecholamine release from cat adrenal glands perfused at a high rate (4 ml min-1) at 37 degrees C with polarizing (1.2 or 5.9 mM K+) or depolarizing (17.7, 35, 59 or 118 mM K+) solutions, was triggered by 5 or 10 s pulses of Ca2+ (0.5 or 2.5 mM) in the presence of various concentrations of K+. 2. In polarized glands, secretion was greater the higher the K+ concentration present during the secretory K+/Ca2+ test pulse. Thus, in 17.7 mM K+, catecholamine released was 162 +/- 27 ng per pulse, while in 118 mM K+ secretion rose to 1839 +/- 98 ng per pulse. In depolarized glands, secretion reached a peak of around 1000 ng per pulse in 35-59 mM K+; in 118 mM K+, secretion did not increase further, suggesting that voltage changes are implicated in the control of the secretory process. 3. Blockade of secretion by increased concentrations of (+)-isradipine was much more manifest in polarized glands. The higher the degree of depolarization was (35, 59 or 118 mM K+), the lower the IC50 s were. So, the ratios between the IC50 s in polarized and depolarized glands rose from 3.92 in 35 mM K+ to 26.7 in 118 mM K+. 4. In contrast, the Ca2+ channel activator (-)-Bay K 8644 potentiated catecholamine release evoked by K+/Ca2+ pulses equally well in polarized or depolarized glands. The ratios between EC50 s in polarized or depolarized glands were, respectively, 0.30, 0.59 and 0.69 for 17.7, 35 and 118 mM K+. 5. In simultaneous experiments, the two enantiomers of Bay K 8644 exhibited opposite effects on secretion. (+)-Bay K 8644 (a Ca21 channel blocker) inhibited secretion better in depolarized than in polarized glands, whilst (-)-Bay K 8644 potentiated secretion in a voltage-independent manner. 6. Potentiation of secretion by (-)-Bay K 8644 was concentration-dependent from 10-8 to 10-6M. At 10- 5M, such potentiation largely disappeared in both polarized and depolarized glands. However, this dual effect of (-)Bay K 8644 was better seen in depolarizing conditions, suggesting that using the same enantiomer, the voltage-dependence is only seen when blockade of secretion dominates. 7. In the presence of increasing concentrations of (-)Bay K 8644 (3 x 10-9, 3 x 10-8 and 3 x 10-7M), the concentration-response curves for (+)isradipine to inhibit secretion were displaced to the right. However, a Schild plot of (dose ratio - 1) against (-)-Bay K 8644 concentrations gave a slope of 0.6, suggesting that the interactions between (+)-isradipine and (-)Bay K 8644 were non-competitive in nature. The pA2 for (-)-Bay K 8644 was 9.13. 8. Overall, the results suggest that potentiation of secretion by (-)Bay K 8644 (a voltage-independent phenomenon), and blockade by (+)-isradipine or (+-Bay K 8644 (a voltage-dependent phenomenon) might be exerted through binding of the dihydropyridines activators and blockers to separate sites on chromaffin cell L-type Ca2 + channels.

Variable, voltage-dependent, blocking effects of nitrendipine, verapamil, diltiazem, cinnarizine and cadmium on adrenomedullary secretion

1. Catecholamine release from cat adrenal glands perfused at a high rate (4 ml min-1) at 37 degrees C with modified Krebs solutions lacking Ca and containing 1.2 mM K (hyperpolarizing solution) or 118 mM K (depolarizing solution) was triggered by 10-s pulses of Ca (0.5 mM) in the presence of 118 mM K. Hyperpolarized glands released 1280 +/- 135 ng per pulse and depolarized glands 831 +/- 98 ng per pulse (n = 29). 2. While the dihydropyridine Ca channel blocker nitrendipine inhibited secretion in hyperpolarized glands with an IC50 of 214 nM, in depolarizing conditions the drug was much more potent (IC50 = 0.99 nM). In contrast, the inorganic Ca channel blocker cadmium inhibited secretion with the same potency both in hyperpolarized or depolarized glands. 3. Cinnarizine, diltiazem and verapamil exhibited intermediate degrees of voltage-dependence in blocking secretion. The IC50 ratios between hyperpolarized and depolarized glands were 215, 36, 19, 8 and 0.76 respectively for nitrendipine, cinnarizine, diltiazem, verapamil and cadmium. Because the experimental design (strong depolarization in the absence of Ca) favours the highest opening probability of Ca channels, it seems that these drugs bind preferentially to their receptors when these channels are in their open state. 4. Variable voltage-dependent effects of the five Ca channel blockers on adrenomedullary catecholamine release suggests different sites and mechanisms of action on, or near L-type Ca channels in chromaffin cells. In addition, these findings might help to explain why these drugs exhibit tissue selectivity and why they act differently in normal polarized as compared to ischaemic depolarized cells.