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Potassium channels in vascular smooth muscle: a pathophysiological and pharmacological perspective
Author(s) -
Dogan Muhammed Fatih,
Yildiz Oguzhan,
Arslan Seyfullah Oktay,
Ulusoy Kemal Gokhan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
fundamental and clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1472-8206
pISSN - 0767-3981
DOI - 10.1111/fcp.12461
Subject(s) - vascular smooth muscle , inward rectifier potassium ion channel , potassium channel , hyperpolarization (physics) , vasodilation , vasoconstriction , stretch activated ion channel , depolarization , bk channel , medicine , membrane potential , ion channel , endocrinology , chemistry , biophysics , biology , receptor , smooth muscle , organic chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Potassium (K + ) ion channel activity is an important determinant of vascular tone by regulating cell membrane potential ( MP ). Activation of K + channels leads to membrane hyperpolarization and subsequently vasodilatation, while inhibition of the channels causes membrane depolarization and then vasoconstriction. So far five distinct types of K + channels have been identified in vascular smooth muscle cells ( VSMC s): Ca +2 ‐activated K + channels ( BK C a ), voltage‐dependent K + channels ( K V ), ATP ‐sensitive K + channels ( K ATP ), inward rectifier K + channels (K ir ), and tandem two‐pore K + channels (K 2 P). The activity and expression of vascular K + channels are changed during major vascular diseases such as hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus. The defective function of K + channels is commonly associated with impaired vascular responses and is likely to become as a result of changes in K + channels during vascular diseases. Increased K + channel function and expression may also help to compensate for increased abnormal vascular tone. There are many pharmacological and genotypic studies which were carried out on the subtypes of K + channels expressed in variable amounts in different vascular beds. Modulation of K + channel activity by molecular approaches and selective drug development may be a novel treatment modality for vascular dysfunction in the future. This review presents the basic properties, physiological functions, pathophysiological, and pharmacological roles of the five major classes of K + channels that have been determined in VSMC s.