Effect of thiamylal on the sensitivity of glycerinated cardiac fibres to calcium.

Clarification of the mechanisms of the myocardial depression produced by thiamylal was sought by studying the effect of thiamylal upon the sensitivity of contractile proteins to calcium (Ca2+), by using glycerinated muscle fibres from the canine right ventricle. The dose--response relationship between the concentration of Ca2+ and the force of contraction of the glycerinated cardiac muscle fibres was not shifted from the control curve by the administration of thiamylal 67 microgram ml-1. This result suggests that the changes in the sensitivity of contractile proteins to Ca2+ are not responsible for the depression of myocardial performance produced by thiamylal.