Changes of cytosolic calcium and contractility of young rat vas deferens by acute treatment with amphetamine, fluoxetine or sibutramine

Abstract Previous studies conducted in our laboratory indicated that administration of amphetamine, fluoxetine or sibutramine affects the sympathetic nervous system of the rat vas deferens. Therefore, our goal was to verify the role of calcium in vasa deferentia from young rats pretreated with a single dose of these drugs. Young 40-day-old male Wistar rats were pretreated with amphetamine 3 mg/kg, fluoxetine 10 mg/kg or sibutramine 6 mg/kg for 4 h before the experiments. CaCl 2 (10 mM) was used to induce contraction through time–effect curves in calcium-free solution to measure phasic and tonic components. We also evaluated the calcium-induced fluorescence of vas deferens cut into thin slices. In rats pretreated with amphetamine, we found an increase of the tonic contraction component which was reduced by verapamil. The phasic and tonic responses were increased in the group treated with fluoxetine, but only the tonic response was more sensitive to the antagonism by verapamil. The group treated with sibutramine showed an increase of phasic response whereas the tonic component was decreased. In this group an increase of the affinity for verapamil antagonism was found. In the calcium fluorescence study it was observed that the group treated with amphetamine, fluoxetine or sibutramine showed higher basal Ca 2+ fluorescence after stimulus with KCl (70 mM), noradrenaline (10 −4  M) or acetylcholine (10 −4  M). In all pretreated groups the calcium fluorescence was diminished by nifedipine 10 −7  M. Therefore, the pretreatment with amphetamine, fluoxetine or sibutramine seems to affect the calcium contractility and homeostasis in young rat vas deferens.