Eugenol-induced contractions of saponin-skinned fibers are inhibited by heparin or by a ryanodine receptor blocker
The effects of eugenol on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and contractile apparatus of chemically skinned skeletal muscle fibers of the frog Rana catesbeiana were investigated. In saponin-skinned fibers, eugenol (5 mmol/L) induced muscle contractions, probably by releasing Ca2+ from the SR. The Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release blocker ruthenium red (10 μmol/L) inhibited both caffeine- and eugenol-induced muscle contractions. Ryanodine (200 μmol/L), a specific ryanodine receptor/Ca2+ release channel blocker, promoted complete inhibition of the contractions induced by caffeine, but only partially blocked the contractions induced by eugenol. Heparin (2.5 mg/mL), an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) receptor blocker, strongly inhibited the contractions induced by eugenol but had only a small effect on the caffeine-induced contractions. Eugenol neither altered the Ca2+ sensitivity nor the maximal force in Triton X-100 skinned muscle fibers. These data suggest that muscle contraction induced by eugenol involves at least 2 mechanisms of Ca2+ release from the SR: one related to the activation of the ryanodine receptors and another through a heparin-sensitive pathway.