Effects of taurine on L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel in rat cardiomyocytes infected with coxsackievirus B3.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of taurine on L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel (VDCC) in adult rat cardiomyocytes infected with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3).


METHODS
Whole-cell Ca2+ current of L-type VDCC was obtained by patch-clamp techniques.


RESULTS
The density of L-type Ca2+ current was 4.1 +/- 0.8 pA/pF in normal cardiomyocytes, but increased to 4.9 +/- 1.4 pA/pF with CVB3 infection. At 16 mmol.L-1, taurine decreased the density to 3.5 +/- 0.5 pA/pF in normal cardiomyocytes, and to 3.8 +/- 0.8 pA/pF in CVB3-infected cardiomyocytes. In addition, CVB3 shifted the membrane potential depolarizing to peak current (Vp) from 8 +/- 8 mV to 5 +/- 3 mV which could also be reverted to 8 +/- 4 mV by taurine.


CONCLUSIONS
Taurine inhibited the increase of Ca2+ inflow through L-type VDCC and normalized the decreased Vp induced by CVB3 infection. The effect of taurine on L-type VDCC was the mechanism of taurine attenuating the intracellular Ca2+ accumulation and abnormal electric activities induced by CVB3 infection.
Liu
G X
GX
Key Laboratory of Viral Heart Diseases of Ministry of Public Health, Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University, China.
Yang
Y Z
YZ
Gu
Q B
QB
Liu
Y H
YH
Guo
Q
Q
D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human; D006321:Heart / Q000821:virology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*
D015220:Calcium Channels; D013654:Taurine