Abstract
Exertional rhabdomyolysis is a myopathy of unknown pathophysiology. We measured intracellular resting calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) by means of Ca2+-selective microelectrodes in intercostal muscle fibers from horses suffering from rhabdomyolysis, and from horses with no evidence of neuromuscular disorder. [Ca2+]i was several-fold higher in muscle fibers from horses suffering from rhabdomyolysis when compared to controls. Treatment of rhabdomyolytic horses with dantrolene, an agent that prevents Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, reduced [Ca2+]i toward control values, and accelerated the recovery from this myopathy. These results indicate that an acute episode of rhabdomyolysis is associated with elevation in [Ca2+]i in skeletal muscles, and that dantrolene might be of benefit in treating this disease.
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López, J.R., Linares, N., Cordovez, G. et al. Elevated myoplasmic calcium in exercise-induced equine rhabdomyolysis. Pflügers Arch. 430, 293–295 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00374661
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00374661