Ethaverine is a derivative of
papaverine used in the treatment of
peripheral vascular disease and is thought to cause vasodilation by reducing intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in vascular smooth muscle cells. We tested its effects on single,
dihydropyridine-sensitive,
L-type calcium channels from porcine cardiac muscle, incorporated into planar
lipid bilayers.
L-type calcium channels were activated by step depolarizations from a holding potential of -60 mV to a test potential of 0 mV, and unitary currents carried by 100 mM
BaCl2 were recorded. Channel activity was enhanced by the presence of the
dihydropyridine agonist (+)-
202-791 (0.5 microM) and the activated alpha subunit of the stimulatory
GTP-binding protein, Gs. We found that 0.3-30 microM
ethaverine on either side of the channel caused a reduction in the channel open probability (EC50 approximately 1 microM), with the higher concentrations inhibiting channel activity almost completely. In addition, the
ethaverine caused a small reduction in the unitary current amplitude of single open channels (approximately 20%). To test whether the effect of
ethaverine on open probability was due to a displacement of the
dihydropyridine agonist, we studied the effect of
ethaverine on the binding of [3H]
nitrendipine to cardiac sarcolemma and found that
ethaverine inhibited [3H]
nitrendipine binding with a Ki of approximately 8.5 microM.
Ethaverine also inhibited the binding of [3H]
diltiazem and [3H]
verapamil, with Ki values of 1-2 microM. Because
ethaverine is structurally related to
verapamil, it is likely that
ethaverine acts by binding to the
verapamil binding sites on the
L-type calcium channels to inhibit channel activation and
dihydropyridine binding.