Background: Protamine alters the inotropic responses to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, but its mechanism of action is not well-understood. Moreover, its interaction with alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation and the lusitropic (relaxation) response to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation remain unknown.
Methods: The effects of protamine (10 or 100 microg/ml) on the responses induced by phenylephrine and isoproterenol were studied in rat left ventricular papillary muscles. Inotropic and lusitropic effects were studied under low and high loads. The authors also studied the interaction of protamine with forskolin (50 microm) and dibutyryl 3',5'-cAMP (0.5 mm). Data are mean percentage of baseline active force +/- SD.
Results: In control groups, phenylephrine (135 +/- 17%, P < 0.05) and isoproterenol (185 +/- 44%, P < 0.05) induced a positive inotropic effect. Isoproterenol induced positive lusitropic effects under low and high loads. Protamine abolished the inotropic responses to alpha- (102 +/- 23%, not significant) and beta-adrenoceptor stimulations (99 +/- 17%, not significant) but did not modify the lusitropic responses to isoproterenol. Protamine abolished the inotropic responses to forskolin (89 +/- 6 vs. 154 +/- 20%, P < 0.05) and markedly decreased that of dibutyryl 3',5'-cAMP (132 +/- 31 vs. 167 +/- 30%, P < 0.05) but did not modify their lusitropic responses.
Conclusions: Protamine abolished the inotropic responses to alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor stimulations but preserved the lusitropic responses to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation. Although protamine may act at several sites on the adrenoceptor stimulation cascade, one of its main sites of action is situated downstream from cAMP-mediated phosphorylation.