Abstract
The effects of 1-[2-(dodecyloxy)ethyl]pyrrolidine hydrochloride (DEP) on Ascaris muscle cells were investigated using electrophysiological techniques. The average resting potential of the muscle cells was 33.7±0.26 mV (S.E.M.). DEP caused depolarization and decreased spike frequency in single muscle cell. This DEP-induced depolarization was not antagonized by d-tubocurarine, other cholinolytics and tetrodotoxin. DEP reduced the membrane potential of the muscle cells bathed for 2 hr in the calcium-free solution containing EGTA but did not produce a contraction. In the presence of lecithin or cephalin in the medium, DEP did not cause depolarization, which suggests that DEP could produce a depolarization by changing the conformation of membrane lipoprotein and then by increasing the ion permeability. It is demonstrated that some divalent cations other than calcium ion could activate the contractile system of Ascaris muscle.
