A dual action of papaverine on calcium uptake by microsomal fraction isolated from rat uterus

The effects of papaverine, cyclic AMP and MIX (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) on calcium uptake by a microsomal fraction from rat uterus were tested in the presence of 3 mM ATP. Papaverine potentiated calcium uptake in the presence of oxalate but inhibited it in the absence of oxalate. However, cyclic AMP and MIX did not influence calcium uptake, neither in the presence nor the absence of oxalate. These results suggest that calcium uptake by plasma membrane-derived vesicles in the absence of oxalate is inhibited by papaverine and that papaverine potentiated calcium uptake by the internal membranes in the presence of oxalate. They suggest also that the stimulatory action of papaverine involves a cyclic AMP-independent mechanism in addition to the mechanism via cyclic AMP.