Journal article

Modified cytoplasmic Ca2 sequestration contributes to spinal cord injury-induced augmentation of nerve-evoked contractions in the rat tail artery

H Al Dera, BP Callaghan, JA Brock

Plos One | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2014

Abstract

In rat tail artery (RTA), spinal cord injury (SCI) increases nerve-evoked contractions and the contribution of L-type Ca2+ channels to these responses. In RTAs from unoperated rats, these channels play a minor role in contractions and Bay K8644 (L-type channel agonist) mimics the effects of SCI. Here we investigated the mechanisms underlying the facilitatory actions of SCI and Bay K8644 on nerve-evoked contractions of RTAs and the hypothesis that Ca2+ entering via L-type Ca2+ channels is rapidly sequestered by the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) limiting its role in contraction. In situ electrochemical detection of noradrenaline was used to assess if Bay K8644 increased noradrenaline release. Pe..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (Grant ID GNT1024485) and the Transport Accident Commission (Victoria). H. Al Dera was supported by a postgraduate award from King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, College of Medicine (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.