Nonylphenol (NP) is the most critical metabolite of alkylphenol polyethoxylate detergents. NP is known as an endocrine disruptor with estrogenic activities and as an inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase. Estrogen has modulatory roles on ligand-gated ion channels, such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitors can modulate the cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)]) and thus can affect the calcium signaling coupled with nAChRs. Therefore, NP is predicted to have complex effects on the Ca(2+) signaling and secretion coupled with nAChRs. This study investigated these effects using bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The results show that NP suppressed the Ca(2+) signaling coupled with nAChRs and voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels in a dose-dependent manner, with IC(50)s of 1 and 5.9 microM, respectively. Estradiol exhibits similar suppression but much lower inhibitory potencies. NP alone induced a transient rise in [Ca(2+)](c) in the presence or absence of extracellular calcium. Thapsigargin, an endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, partially suppressed the [Ca(2+)](c) rise induced by NP, but NP totally blocked the [Ca(2+)](c) rise induced by thapsigargin. This illustrates that NP can cause Ca(2+) release from thapsigargin-insensitive pools. Thapsigargin suppressed the Ca(2+) signaling coupled with nAChRs but increased that coupled with voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels. We propose that three routes are responsible for the effects of NP on nAChRs: named receptor channels, voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, and Ca(2+)-induced Ca(2+) release. Three routes are related to the characteristics of NP as steroid-like compounds and Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor.