Effects of endothelin-1 on calcium and potassium currents in undiseased human ventricular myocytes

Endothelins have been reported to exert a wide range of electrophysiological effects in mammalian cardiac cells. These results are controversial and human data are not available. Our aim was to study the effects of endothelin-l (ET-1, 8 nmol/l) on the L-type calcium current (ICa-L) and various potassium currents (rapid component of the delayed rectifier, I-Kr; transient outward current, I-to; and the inward rectifier K current, I-K1) in isolated human ventricular cardiomyocytes. Cells were obtained from undiseased donor hearts using collagenase digestion via the segment perfusion technique. The whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique was applied to measure ionic currents at 37 degreesC. ET-1 significantly decreased peak I-Ca,I-L from 10.2+/-0.6 to 6.8+/-0.8 pA/pF at +5 mV (66.7% of control, P <0.05, n=5). This reduction of peak current was accompanied by a lengthening of inactivation. The voltage dependence of steady-state activation and inactivation was not altered by ET-1. I-Kr, measured as tail current amplitudes at -40 mV, decreased from 0.31+/-0.02 to 0.06+/-0.02 pA/pF (20.3% of control, P <0.05, n=4) after exposure to ET-1. ET-I failed to change the peak amplitude of I-to, measured at +50 mV (9.3+/-4.6 and 9.0+/-4.4 pA/pF before and after ET-1, respectively), or steady-state I-K1 amplitude, measured at the end of a 400-ms hyperpolarization to -100 mV (3.6+/-1.4 and 3.7+/-1.4 pA/pF, n=4). The present results indicate that in undiseased human ventricular myocytes ET-1 inhibits both ICa-L and I-Kr; however, the degree of suppression of the two currents is different.