title: Inhibition of K+ currents of outer hair cells in guinea pig cochlea by fluoxetine.
abstract: The effects of fluoxetine (Prozac), a widely used antidepressant drug, on K+ channel in outer hair cells isolated from guinea pig cochlea were studied using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Fluoxetine potently inhibited leak K+ currents with an IC50 of 0.78 microM. The inhibition was reversible and voltage-independent. At 45- to 103-fold higher concentrations than the plasma levels, fluoxetine reversibly blocked voltage-activated K+ currents. Kinetics of the current in the presence of fluoxetine resembled the control current, and the inhibition was not use-dependent. Neither the activation curve nor the reversal potential was affected by fluoxetine. This inhibition was voltage-dependent with an electric distance (delta value) of the binding site of at least 26% of the membrane field from the cytoplasmic side. Use-independent inhibition suggests that fluoxetine blocks the channel before its opening or instantly blocks the open channel. This is the first study of the action of this compound on K+ channel of outer hair cells of the mammalian inner ear. We conclude that the block of the leak K+ currents can occur at therapeutic levels of fluoxetine. Since the voltage-activated K+ currents are not potently blocked by fluoxetine, this action might not be related to its antidepressant action or adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-3008, USA. j-bian@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Jing-Tan
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: Jay Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Aistrup
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narahashi
authors.forename: Ernest J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D018072:Hair Cells, Auditory, Outer / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors