Effects of Cannabinoids on Tension Induced by Acetylcholine and Choline in Slow Skeletal Muscle Fibers of the Frog

We investigated the effects of cannabinoids on acetylcholine (ACh) or choline contractures in slow skeletal muscle fibers from Rana pipiens. Bundles of cruralis muscle fibers were incubated with the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) agonist, arachidonylcyclopropylamide (ACPA), which diminished the maximum isometric tension by 10 % and the total tension by 5 % of the ACh contracture, and 40 and 22 % of the choline contracture, respectively. Preincubation with the CB1 antagonist, AM281, or with pertussis toxin (PTX) completely blocked the effect of ACPA on the ACh contracture. On the other hand, the decrease in choline contracture by ACPA was only partially blocked by AM281 (~16 % decrease), PTX (20 %), or by dantrolene (~46 %). Our results show that ACPA modulates ACh and choline contractures, and suggest that this effect involves the participation of CB1, the ACh receptor, and −RyR in ACh contractures. For choline contractures, ACPA may also be acting through cannabinoid receptor-independent mechanisms.