title: Involvement of K(+)-channel opening in endothelin-1 induced suppression of spontaneous contractions in the guinea pig taenia coli.
abstract: Effects of porcine-human endothelin-1 on mechanical as well as electrical activities and on intracellular free Ca2+ levels in the guinea pig taenia coli were compared with those of nifedipine, a voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel blocker. Endothelin-1 (0.1-100 nM) caused a concentration-dependent suppression of spontaneous contractions but did not significantly affect the sustained contraction evoked by 40 mM KCl. However, nifedipine (0.1-100 nM) inhibited both types of contractions in a concentration-dependent manner. In electrophysiological studies, endothelin-1 (30 nM) or nifedipine (30 nM) eliminated spontaneous spike discharges. Endothelin-1 produced hyperpolarization, while nifedipine did not change the resting membrane potential. The endothelin-1 induced suppression of spontaneous contractions was dose-dependently antagonized by apamin (0.01-10 nM), an inhibitor of a small conductance Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channel, and D-tubocurarine (10-100 microM), an inhibitor of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channel, but was unaffected by 4-aminopyridine (0.01-1 mM), an inhibitor of a voltage-dependent K+ channel. In the study with fura 2 excited at 340 nm, endothelin-1 abolished, from the tissue, the fluorescence signals that were coupled with spontaneous contraction. It is suggested that the inhibitory action of endothelin-1 on spontaneous contraction may be caused by hyperpolarization of the membrane that reduces the spontaneous generation of spike discharge coupled normally to an increase in the intracellular free Ca2+ levels in the guinea pig taenia coli. The hyperpolarization may be caused by activating apamin-sensitive Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of Biodynamics, School of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usune
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsuragi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D015761:4-Aminopyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001030:Apamin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects*; D016232:Endothelins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016232:Endothelins; D015221:Potassium Channels; D001030:Apamin; D015761:4-Aminopyridine; D009543:Nifedipine; D002118:Calcium