title: Activation of high conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels by sodium tanshinoneII-A sulfonate (DS-201) in porcine coronary artery smooth muscle cells.
abstract: High conductance Ca(2+) activated K(+) channels (BK(Ca)) in vascular smooth muscles play important roles in controlling the vascular tone by determining the level of membrane potential and Ca(2+) influx through voltage gated Ca(2+) channels. Agents that alter the activity of Ca(2+) channels or BK(Ca) thus affect the vascular tone in both physiological and pathological conditions. Danshen, the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine and is widely used as an effective remedy for cardiovascular and cerebral vascular diseases partly by its vasodilatation. Sodium tanshinoneII-A sulfonate (DS-201) is a water-soluble derivative of Tanshinone IIA, the main active component of Danshen. The purpose of this study was to explore possible mechanisms of vasodilative effects of DS-201 using porcine coronary artery smooth muscle. DS-201 induced relaxation of the coronary smooth muscle which had been contracted with 30 mM KCl, and the relaxation was inhibited by 100 nM iberiotoxin (IbTX), a specific BK(Ca) channel blocker. Using perforated whole-cell recordings and single channel recordings, effects of DS-201 on BK(Ca) were examined. The results showed that DS-201 activated BK(Ca). Extracellular application of DS-201 at 40, 80 microM under the whole-cell configuration induced increases of the BK(Ca) macroscopic currents by 43.6%, 42.1% respectively, and the spontaneous transient outward K(+) currents (STOCs) by 48.7%, 47.4% respectively. In inside-out patches, bath application of 20-150 muM of DS-201 activated BK(Ca) by 5.4-173.2 fold. These results indicate that the vasodilatation by DS-201 is related to activation of BK(Ca).
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrophysiology, Institute of Cardiovasology, Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Peng-Yun
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Miao-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gui-Lan
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhi-Fei
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Rong
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009129:Muscle Tonus / Q000187:drug effects; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000187:drug effects*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated / Q000819:agonists*; D013552:Swine; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D010455:Peptides; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; C024894:tanshinone II A sodium sulfonate; C064719:iberiotoxin