The effect of C-type natriuretic peptide on delayed rectifier potassium currents in gastric antral circular myocytes of the guinea-pig

C-type natriuretic peptides (CNP) play an inhibitory role in smooth muscle motility of the gastrointestinal tract, but the effect of CNP on delayed rectifier potassium currents is still unclear. This study was designed to investigate the effect of CNP on delayed rectifier potassium currents and its mechanism by using conventional whole-cell patch-clamp technique in guinea-pig gastric myocytes isolated by collagenase. CNP significantly inhibited delayed rectifier potassium currents [I-K (v)] in dose-dependent manner, and CNP inhibited the peak current elicited by depolarized step pulse to 86.1 +/- 1.6 % (n=7, P<0.05), 78.4 +/- 2.6 % (n=10, P<0.01) and 67.7 +/- 2.3 % (n=14, P<0.01), at concentrations of 0.01 mu mol/l, 0.1 mu mol/l and 1 mu mol/l, respectively, at +60 mV. When the cells were preincubated with 0.1 mu mol/l LY83583, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, the 1 mu mol/l CNP-induced inhibition of I-K (v) was significantly impaired but when the cells were preincubated with 0.1 mu mol/l zaprinast, a cGMP-sensitive phosphodiesterase inhibitor, the 0.01 mu mol/l CNP-induced inhibition of I-K (v) was significantly potentiated. 8-Br-cGMP, a membrane permeable cGMP analogue mimicked inhibitory effect of CNP on I-K (v). CNP-induced inhibition of I-K (v) was completely blocked by KT5823, an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). The results suggest that CNP inhibites the delayed rectifier potassium currents via cGMP-PKG signal pathway in the gastric antral circular myocytes of the guinea-pig.