Acute treatment with alcohol affects calcium signaling and contraction associated with apoptosis in vas deferens of periadolescent rats

Our purpose was to verify if alcohol causes alterations on translocation of Ca2+ and tension induced by KCl or noradrenaline in vas deferens of periadolescent Wistar rats. A single dose of alcohol (i.p. 3.0 g/kg) or saline as control, was given 4 h before sacrifice. Longitudinal strips of prostatic portion were mounted in vitro for simultaneous measurements of intracellular Ca2+ and contractions. Fluorescence and tension were measured in strips loaded with the fluorescent dye fura-2. The mean values (±S.E.M.) of fluorescence ratios (F340/380) evoked by KCl were significantly lower by about 70% after alcohol, in relation to control. It was about 50% lower when evoked by noradrenaline. In relation to tension, the respective mean values (±S.E.M.) were lower by about 60% in organs treated with KCl or by about 80% after noradrenaline. In some experiments, before noradrenaline contraction, the vas deferens was incubated with verapamil 10−6 M for 30 min. In these experiments, contractions by noradrenaline in the presence of verapamil were decreased by about 70% by alcohol. Alcohol decreases cytosolic calcium and contractility after KCl and noradrenaline, as compared with controls. In addition, alcohol promoted damage of lumen structures. Prostatic portion showed no striking morphometric change after treatment, but the number of TUNEL positive cells in muscular layer, basal lamina and lumen were increased by alcohol, indicating apoptosis, compared with controls. This investigation shows that alcohol treatment alters signaling of calcium which in turn compromises the contraction associated with a process of apoptosis of periadolescent rats.