Abstract
1. Smooth muscle cells were dispersed from rat aorta and then cultured. The action of palytoxin on rat aortic myocytes was analysed by measurement of 22Na+ uptake and single channel recording techniques. 2. Palytoxin induced an increase in 22Na+ uptake, with a concentration of 50 nM producing half-maximal activation. The action of palytoxin was inhibited by amiloride derivatives and by ouabain. The concentrations of inhibitor producing half-maximal inhibition were 10 microM for 3,4 dichlorobenzamil, 30 microM for benzamil, 100 microM for phenamil and 1 mM for ouabain. 3. In outside-out patches, palytoxin induced single channel currents that reversed near 0 mV with NaCl or KCl in the extracellular solution, but were outward with N-methyl-D-glucamine chloride or CaCl2 (110 mM), indicating that palytoxin induced a cation channel permeable to Na+ and K+ (PK/PNa = 1.2) but not to Ca2+ (PK/PCa > 30) or to N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) (PK/PNMDG > 11) The unit channel conductance was 11-14 pS. 4. A high (> 0.1 mM) extracellular concentration of Ca2+ was necessary to observe channel activation by palytoxin. A high (150 mM) extracellular concentration of K+ partially prevented and reversed channel activation by palytoxin. 5. The channel activity was fully blocked by 3,4 dichlorobenzamil (20 microM) and partially blocked by phenamil (50 microM). It was not reduced by ouabain (200 microM).