Abstract
Only recently has it been recognized that intracellular Ca2+ is an important cellular mediator in pancreatic ducts. The aim of the present study was to characterize the Ca2+ efflux pathway in ducts freshly prepared from rat pancreas. Lowering of extracellular Na+ concentration resulted in a significant increase in intracellular Ca2+. This effect was fast, reversible, dependent on the extracellular Na+ concentration and did not correlate with intracellular pH changes. It was abolished in Ca2+-free solutions, indicating that the outwardly directed Na+ gradient was directly coupled to a flufenamate insensitive Ca2+ influx. Removal and reintroduction of extracellular Na+ induced transient hyperpolarization and depolarization of Vm, respectively. Taken together, our data indicate that pancreatic ducts possess an electrogenic Na+-Ca2+ exchanger, which under control conditions is responsible for transporting Ca2+ out of resting duct cells.
| Original language | English |
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| Journal | FEBS Letters |
| Volume | 397 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 298-302 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| ISSN | 0014-5793 |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 |