Controlling intracellular Ca2+ spiral waves by the local agonist in the cell membrane

A modified spatially extended Tang--Othmer Ca²⁺ model is used to study intracellular Ca²⁺ spiral waves numerically. It is found that, as a local stimulation, the local agonist-binding on the cell membrane，which enhances the local concentration of the messenger molecule inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate(IP₃), can influence the dynamics of the spiral waves. {1}) Strong enough stimuli can change the spiral wave from a meandering to a rigidly rotating one. {2}) On the other hand, strong enough stimuli can suppress the spiral wave from the system. It provides the theoretical clue for controlling the spiral waves by stimulating the cell membrane.