title: Role of ion channels in coronary microcirculation: a review of the literature.
abstract: In normal coronary arteries, several different mechanisms of blood flow regulation exist, acting at different levels of the coronary tree: endothelial, nervous, myogenic and metabolic regulation. In addition, physiologic blood flow regulation is also dependent on the activity of several coronary ion channels, including ATP-dependent K(+) channels, voltage-gated K(+) channels and others. In this context, ion channels contribute by matching demands for homeostatic maintenance. They play a primary role in rapid response of both endothelium and vascular smooth muscle cells of larger and smaller arterial vessels of the coronary bed, leading to coronary vasodilation. Consequently, an alteration in ion channel function or expression could be directly involved in coronary vasomotion dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrology, Anesthesiology & Geriatric Sciences, Sapienza University, Policlinico Umberto I, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fedele
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Severino
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Rocco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stio
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caira
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosi
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brasolin
authors.forename: Vahagn
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ohanyan
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mancone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels