Heart failure drug digitoxin induces calcium uptake into cells by forming transmembrane calcium channels.

ABSTRACT: Digitoxin and other cardiac glycosides are important, centuries-old drugs for treating congestive heart failure. However, the mechanism of action of these compounds is still being elucidated. Calcium is known to potentiate the toxicity of these drugs, and we have hypothesized that digitoxin might mediate calcium entry into cells. We report here that digitoxin molecules mediate calcium entry into intact cells. Multimers of digitoxin molecules also are able to form calcium channels in pure planar phospholipid bilayers. These digitoxin channels are blocked by Al(3+) and La(3+) but not by Mg(2+) or the classical l-type calcium channel blocker, nitrendipine. In bilayers, we find that the chemistry of the lipid affects the kinetics of the digitoxin channel activity, but not the cation selectivit

SUBMITTER: Arispe N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2268184 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature