title: Cholesterol and its oxidized derivatives modulate the calcium channel in human red blood cells.
abstract: The human red blood cell was used as a model system in order to study the effect of cholesterol and its medically important oxidized derivatives (OSC = oxidized sterol compounds) on the calcium entry channel. The calcium-ejecting adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) was inhibited by vanadate and the influx of 45Ca2-into the cells measured. The cells were loaded with OSC at concentrations between 0.075 and 1.5 micrograms OSC/10(7) cells. Two classes of OSC could be distinguished: one stimulating Ca2+ influx dose-dependently by almost 100% at maximum concentrations, the other inhibiting it dose-dependently by up to 80%. The calcium channel blocker nitrendipine inhibited influx by 70% at 15 microM. More than 90% of the total stimulation or inhibition was accounted for by an influence on the nitrendipine-inhibitable part of influx, i.e. the calcium channel. Cholesterol (incorporated using liposomes) had a stimulatory (+288%), cholesterol depletion an inhibitory effect on calcium influx (-18%). These results demonstrate that cholesterol and its oxidized derivatives modulate the calcium channel in a highly stereospecific manner and provide new insights into the mechanism of action and the atherogenic effect of these compounds.
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D002784:Cholesterol; D002118:Calcium