Quinacrine decreases the slow inward current and force in guinea pig ventricular tissue

Novel blockade of Ca2+ current by quinacrine in smooth muscle cells of the guinea pig

Effects of quinacrine on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel current (ICa) were examined using whole cell voltage clamp in single smooth muscle cells isolated from vas deferens and urinary bladder and single cardiac myocytes from ventricle of the guinea pig. When ICa was elicited by depolarization from a holding potential of -60 to 0 mV for 150 msec every 15 sec in vas deferens myocytes, external application of quinacrine reduced the amplitude of ICa in a concentration-dependent manner in a range of 0.1 approximately 30 microM, and the IC50 of quinacrine was 1.3 microM. The block was at least partly removed by washout. The block of ICa by 1 microM quinacrine in vas deferens myocytes greatly depended upon the activation potentials but only slightly on the holding potentials. Use-dependent development of the block was also observed. Addition of 300 microM quinacrine to the pipette-filling solution did not significantly affect ICa. The IC50 of quinacrine for ICa block in urinary bladder myocytes was 1.1 microM and comparable to that in vas deferens. On the other hand, IC50 for the block of ICa elicited by depolarization from -45 to 0 mV in cardiac ventricular myocytes was 5.6 microM. It is concluded that quinacrine is a potent blocker of L-type Ca2+ channels in two types of smooth muscle myocytes and that the potency appeared to be approximately five times higher than that in cardiac myocytes. The action of quinacrine may be due to the direct block of Ca2+ channels from outside of the cell membrane.

Hyperpolarization induced by sodium removal in rabbit sinoatrial node cells. Possible role of electrogenic sodium-calcium exchange

Spontaneously active rabbit sinoatrial node (SAN) cells were bathed in K-free solution or in K-free ouabain (20 microM)-containing solution to depress the electrogenic Na(+)-K+ pump activity. In SAN cells exposed to K-free solution, the automatic action potentials ceased with gradual depolarization, followed by an eventual steady-state membrane potential of -32 +/- 1 mV. Under conditions where the Na(+)-K+ pump was blocked, removal of external Na+ produced a large and rapid hyperpolarization in the membrane potential and the membrane was hyperpolarized by 23 +/- 0.5 mV. When the external Na+ was lowered, Na+ was replaced by Li+. The Na-free hyperpolarization was not affected by applications of verapamil (4 microM), lidocaine (1 mM), and quinidine (50 microM), but was inhibited by either quinacrine (50 microM) or Cd2+ (10 mM), which are blockers of Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange. In the absence of external K+, replacement of external NaCl by sucrose produced a hyperpolarization similar to that seen in the replacement of external Na+ by Li+. In the K-free ouabain (20 microM)-containing solution, removal of external Na+ also produced a hyperpolarization, and the membrane potential dropped from -29 +/- 1 to -48 +/- 1 mV. The intracellular acidification due to NH4Cl removal after exposure to NH4Cl (20 mM) produced a decrease in Na-free hyperpolarization, which in the presence of ouabain was inhibited by the application of Cd2+ (10 mM). Removal of external Ca2+ nearly completely blocked Na-free hyperpolarization. It can be concluded that Na-free hyperpolarizations are related to the functioning of an electrogenic Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange mechanism.

Effects of phospholipase A2 inhibitors on coupling of alpha 2-adrenoceptors to inwardly rectifying potassium currents in guinea-pig submucosal neurones

1. Noradrenaline hyperpolarizes guinea-pig submucosal neurones by opening inwardly rectifying potassium channels. Intracellular recordings were made from submucosal neurones and the possible involvement of the phospholipase A2 pathway in this response was examined. 2. The non-specific phospholipase A2 inhibitors, quinacrine (10 microM) and 4-bromophenacyl bromide (4-BPB, 10 microM) inhibited nerve-evoked inhibitory synaptic potentials (i.p.s.ps) and hyperpolarizations to somatostatin and UK 14304. Quinacrine and 4-BPB also blocked the inward rectification present in current-voltage curves in the absence of somatostatin or UK 14304. 3. The more selective phospholipase A2 inhibitor, cyclosporin A (10 microM) and the lipoxygenase and cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA, 20 microM) and nordihydroguairetic acid (NDGA, 20 microM) did not alter i.p.s.ps or hyperpolarizations to UK 14304. 4. Exogenously applied arachidonic acid (1-300 microM) did not mimic the i.p.s.p. or the hyperpolarization to UK 14304. 5. We conclude that arachidonic acid or its eicosanoid metabolites produced by phospholipase A2 stimulation are unlikely to be involved in the receptor G-protein coupled activation of potassium currents in submucosal neurones. The inhibition of the noradrenaline-induced hyperpolarization by quinacrine and 4-BPB is most likely due primarily to blockade of the basal inwardly rectifying potassium conductance present in these neurones.

Ca2+ modulates the inhibition of (+)-[3H]isradipine binding by amiloride and quinacrine

Binding studies were performed to characterize the inhibition by amiloride, 3,4-dichlorobenzamil and quinacrine of specific binding of (+)-[3H]isradipine to L-type voltage-operated calcium ion channels in rat cardiac membranes at 37 degrees C with and without 10(-3) M calcium added. By analysis of saturation, inhibition and dissociation curves we find that without the addition of calcium, amiloride (constant of inhibitor producing 50% inhibition (K0.5) = 6.9 x 10(-4) M, Hill coefficient (nH) = 1.99, k-1 increased) and 3,4-dichlorobenzamil (K0.5 = 7.7 x 10(-7) M, nH = 1.13, k-1 increased) inhibit (+)-[3H]isradipine binding by complex, allosteric interactions, suggesting positive cooperativity between sites for the inhibitors. Quinacrine (K0.5 = 6.7 x 10(-6) M, nH = 0.84, k-1 increased) inhibits the binding allosterically by an action compatible with binding to one site. Addition of 10(-3) M calcium affected the inhibition by amiloride (K0.5 = 1.02 x 10(-3) M, nH = 1.41) and quinacrine (K0.5 = 3.3 x 10(-5) M, nH = 0.65). With calcium added the mechanisms of inhibitions were complex, allosteric, and could be explained by positive cooperativity between sites for amiloride and negative cooperativity between sites for guinacrine. We conclude that calcium addition modulates the inhibitions by amiloride and quinacrine by increasing the inhibition constants and changing the cooperativity.