Ethanol decreases cytosolic-free calcium ions in vascular smooth muscle cells as assessed by digital image analysis.

Effects of ethanol on intracellular-free Ca2+ concentration in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells were examined by digital imaging fluorescence microscopy using the Ca2+ fluorescence indicator, fura-2. Ethanol induced dose-dependent decrements in cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration at 45 mM and 90 mM, which was consistent with previously reported observations of relaxation in intact rat aortic tissues. However, ethanol at high pharmacological concentrations (e.g., 450 mM) failed to induce any further inhibition in cytosolic-free Ca2+ concentration. Our results suggest that the vasodilator effects of ethanol, observed on intact blood vessels, may result in part from an interference with the availability of Ca2+ for excitation-contraction coupling in vascular smooth muscle cells.