Phorbol ester inhibition of vasopressin-induced calcium efflux from cultured rat aortic myocytes.

The effect of the protein kinase C activator TPA was investigated on AVP-induced 45Ca release from rat aortic myocytes. In the nanomolar range TPA, but not 4 beta-phorbol, reduced the brief 45Ca efflux produced by AVP in the presence or in the absence of extracellular calcium. The maximal effect of TPA was to abolish the response to a half maximally active concentration of AVP, and to reduce by 50% the maximal response to the hormone. These results suggest that protein kinase C activation can exert a negative control on the early AVP-induced calcium mobilization in vascular smooth muscle.