title: Dimethyl sulfoxide at high concentrations inhibits non-selective cation channels in human erythrocytes.
abstract: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a by-product of the pulping industry, is widely used in biological research, cryobiology and medicine. On cellular level DMSO was shown to suppress NMDA-AMPA channels activation, blocks Na+ channel activation and attenuates Ca2+ influx (Lu and Mattson 2001). In the present study we explored the whole-cell patch-clamp to examine the acute effect of high concentrations of DMSO (0.1-2 mol/l) on cation channels activity in human erythrocytes. Acute application of DMSO (0.1-2 mol/l) dissolved in Cl--containing saline buffer solution significantly inhibited cation conductance in human erythrocytes. Inhibition was concentration-dependent and had an exponential decay profile. DMSO (2 mol/l) induced cation inhibition in Cl-- containing saline solutions of: 40.3 ± 3.9% for K+, 35.4 ± 3.1% for Ca2+ and 47.4 ± 1.9% for NMDG+. Substitution of Cl- with gluconate- increased the inhibitory effect of DMSO on the Na+ current. Inhibitory effect of DMSO was neither due to high permeability of erythrocytes to DMSO nor to an increased tonicity of the bath media since no effect was observed in 2 mol/l glycerol solution. In conclusion, we have shown that high concentrations of DMSO inhibit the non-selective cation channels in human erythrocytes and thus protect the cells against Na+ and Ca2+ overload. Possible mechanisms of DMSO effect on cation conductance are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kharkov, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Oleg A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Nardid
authors.forename: Miroslav I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Schetinskey
authors.forename: Yuliya V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Kucherenko
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002412:Cations; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D005942:Gluconates / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D018118:Chloride Channels; D005942:Gluconates; D007473:Ion Channels; C030691:gluconic acid; D002118:Calcium; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide