Introduction: Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in the inner mitochondrial membrane changes the activity of KATP channels and the cell excitability, probably by decreasing the ATP production. Given the expression of UCP2 in primary afferent neurons, and the importance of these channels in morphine-induced analgesia, genipin, an UCP2 inhibitor, may affect these processes, when administrated intrath...

Myocardial ischemia remains the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a powerful form of endogenous protection against myocardial infarction. We studied alterations in KATP channels surface density as a potential mechanism of the protection of IPC. Using cardiac-specific knockout of Kir6.2 subunits, we demonstrated an essential role for...

The activation of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in PC12 cells play a pivotal role in protection against the neurotoxic effect of rotenone. However, it remains unclear why rotenone seems to preferentially affect activation of KATP channels and if this could affect its physiological activity. In this study, we sought to determine how the d...

Sulphonylurea derivatives are widely used in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The mechanism of action of the insulino-tropic effect of these agents is based on the closure of adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channels (KATP-channels) in the beta cells of the pancreas. In the last decade, these KATP-channels have been demonstrated in myocardial cells as...

Zingman LV, Alekseev AE, Hodgson-Zingman DM, Terzic A. ATP-sensitive potassium channels: metabolic sensing and cardioprotection. J Appl Physiol 103: 1888–1893, 2007. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00747.2007.—The cardiovascular system operates under a wide scale of demands, ranging from conditions of rest to extreme stress. How the heart muscle matches rates of ATP production with utilization is an a...

BACKGROUND 3-guanidinopropionic acid derivatives reduce body weight in obese, diabetic mice. We have assessed whether one of these analogues, the aminoguanidine carboxylate BVT.12777, opens KATP channels in rat insulinoma cells, by the same mechanism as leptin. RESULTS BVT.12777 hyperpolarized CRI-G1 rat insulinoma cells by activation of KATP channels. In contrast, BVT.12777 did not activate ...

Dietary and metabolic therapies are increasingly being considered for a variety of neurological disorders, based in part on growing evidence for the neuroprotective properties of the ketogenic diet (KD) and ketones. Earlier, we demonstrated that ketones afford hippocampal synaptic protection against exogenous oxidative stress, but the mechanisms underlying these actions remain unclear. Recent s...

ATP-sensitive inwardly rectifying potassium (KATP) channels couple cellular metabolism to the membrane potential of the cell and play an important role in a variety of tissue types, including the insect dorsal vessel, making them a subject of interest not only for understanding invertebrate physiology, but also as a potential target for novel insecticides. Most of what is known about these ion ...

ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are abundantly expressed in the myocardium. Although a definitive role for the channel remains elusive they have been implicated in the phenomenon of cardioprotection, but the precise mechanism is unclear. We set out to test the hypothesis that the channel protects by opening early during ischemia to shorten action potential duration and reduce electrical...

BACKGROUND Opening of cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels has emerged as a promising but still controversial cardioprotective mechanism. Defining KATP channel function at the level of recombinant channel proteins is a necessary step toward further evaluation of the cardioprotective significance of this ion conductance. METHODS AND RESULTS KATP channel deficient COS-7 cells were found to ...