Effects of Saponin Monomer 13 of Dwarf Lilyturf Tuber on L-Type Calcium Currents in Adult Rat Ventricular Myocytes

Abstract

The saponin monomer 13 of dwarf lilyturf tuber (DT-13), one of the saponin monomers of dwarf lilyturf tuber, has been found to have potent cardioprotective effects. In order to investigate the effect of DT-13 on L-type calcium currents ( I Ca,L ), exploring the mechanisms of DT-13's cardioprotective effects, we directly measured the I Ca,L in the adult rat cardiac myocytes exposed to DT-13 using standard whole-cell patch-clamp recording technique. Our results showed that DT-13 exerted inhibitory effects on the I Ca,L of the single adult rat cardiac myocytes. The current density was reduced by about 38% after exposure of the cells to DT-13 (0.1 μM) for 10 minutes, from the control value of 7.46 ± 1.31 pA/pF to 4.25 ± 0.35 pA/pF ( n = 6, p < 0.05). This I Ca,L -inhibiting action of DT-13 was concentration-dependent. DT-13 up-shifted the current-voltage (I-V) curve, but did not significantly affect the half activation potential (V0.5). V0.5 was from -11.8 ± 0.9 mV in the control to -12.6 ± 1.9 mV in the presence of DT-13 at 0.1 μmol/L. DT-13 at 0.1 μM did not markedly affect the activation of I Ca,L , but shifted the inactivation curve of I Ca,L to the left. In combination with previous reports, these results suggest that there might be a close relationship between the cardioprotective effects of dwarf lilyturf tuber and the inhibitory effects of DT-13 on L-type calcium currents.