Different Membrane Pathways Mediate Ca2+ Influx in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells Exposed to 150–400 ns Electric Pulses

الملخص EN

Exposing adrenal chromaffin cells to 5 ns electric pulses (nsPEF) causes a rapid rise in intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i) that is solely the result of Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs).

This study explored the effect of longer duration nsPEF on Ca2+i.

Single 150, 200, or 400 ns pulses at 3.1 kV/cm evoked rapid increases in Ca2+i, the magnitude of which increased linearly with pulse width and electric field amplitude.

Recovery of Ca2+i to prestimulus levels was faster for 150 ns exposures.

Regardless of pulse width, no rise in Ca2+i occurred in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, indicating that the source of Ca2+ was from outside the cell.

Ca2+ responses evoked by a 150 ns pulse were inhibited to varying degrees by ω-agatoxin IVA, ω-conotoxin GVIA, nitrendipine or nimodipine, antagonists of P/Q-, N-, and L-type VGCCs, respectively, and by 67% when all four types of VGCCs were blocked simultaneously.

The remaining Ca2+ influx insensitive to VGCC inhibitors was attributed to plasma membrane nanoporation, which comprised the E-field sensitive component of the response.

Both pathways of Ca2+ entry were inhibited by 200 μM Cd2+.

These results demonstrate that, in excitable chromaffin cells, single 150–400 ns pulses increased the permeability of the plasma membrane to Ca2+ in addition to causing Ca2+ influx via VGCCs.