The effects of hormones and prostaglandins on the calcium pools in cultured myocardial cells.

Determinations of the calcium pools in myocardial cells in vitro have shown the existence of at least three pools of exchangeable calcium. Epinephrine and glucagon were found to produce significant increases in the size of the two slower exchanging pools. Prostaglandins E1 and F1alpha also increased significantly calcium pool size whereas E2 and F2alpha did not; results which correlate well with the effects of the two former prostaglandins on intracellular cAMP levels. The results imply that these agents cause small, but significant, changes in the transmembrane exchange of calcium and large increases in the intracellular calcium pool. Effects which may involve the direct or indirect action of cAMP.