Mechanisms of carbacholine and GABA action on resting membrane potential and Na+/K+-ATPase of Lumbricus terrestris body wall muscles

This work was aimed to identify the action of several ion channel and pump inhibitors as well as nicotinic, GABAergic, purinergic and serotoninergic drugs on the resting membrane potential (RMP) and assess the role of cholinergic and GABAergic sensitivity in earthworm muscle electrogenesis. The nicotinic agonists acetylcholine (ACh), carbacholine (CCh) and nicotine depolarize the RMP at concentrations of 5 μM and higher. The nicotinic antagonists (+)tubocurarine, α-bungarotoxin, muscarinic antagonists atropine and hexamethonium do not remove or prevent the CCh-induced depolarization. Verapamil, tetrodotoxin, removal of Cl− and Ca2+ from the solution also cannot prevent the depolarization by CCh. In a Na+-free medium, however, CCh lost this depolarization ability and this indicates that the drug opens the sodium permeable pathway. Serotonin, glutamate, glycine, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and cis-4-aminocrotonic acid (GABAC receptor antagonist) had no effect on the RMP. On the other hand, isoguvacin, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and baclofen (GABAB receptor agonist) hyperpolarized the RMP. Ouabain, bicucullin (GABAA antagonist) and phaclofen (GABAB antagonist), as well as the removal of Cl−, suppressed the effect of GABA and baclofen. CCh did not enhance the depolarization generated by ouabain but, on the other hand, hindered the hyperpolarizing activity of baclofen both in the absence and presence of atropine and (+)tubocurarine. The long-term application of CCh depolarizes the RMP primarily by inhibiting the Na+/K+-ATPase. The muscle membrane also contains A and B type GABA binding sites, the activation of which increases the RMP at the expense of increasing the action of ouabain- and Cl− -sensitive electrogenic pumps.