CALCIUM
CHANNEL BLOCKERS
Are a diverse
group of structurally unrelated compounds that selectively interferes with the inward
calcium movement across the myocardial and vascular smooth muscles.
Calcium plays a key role in the electrical
excitation of the cardiac cell and vascular smooth muscle cells.
Introduction
Role of Ca++ in Cardiac and Smooth Muscle
- Changes in intracellular Ca++ regulate contraction through different mechanisms in cardiac and smooth muscle:
- In cardiac muscle, Ca++ binding to troponin C relieves troponin inhibition of actin-myosin interactions
