Multiple potassium channels mediate nitric oxide-induced inhibition of rat vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation

Several nitric oxide (NO) effects in the cardiovascular system are mediated by soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activation but potassium channels (KC) are also emerging as important effectors of NO actions. We investigated the relationship among vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, NO, cyclic GMP, and KC using the A7r5 smooth muscle cell line derived from rat aorta. NO donors (two nitrosothiols, S-nitroso-acetyl-d,l-penicillamine, SNAP, and S-nitroso-glutathione, GSNO, and an organic nitrate, glyceryl trinitrate, GTN; 1-1000 μM) dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation. ODQ (a selective inhibitor of sGC; 0.1 and 1 μM) and KT5823 (a selective inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, 1 μM) prevented NO effects, confirming that sGC is a key target. In this report, we show that tetraethylammonium (TEA, a non-selective blocker of KC, 300 μM), and 4-aminopyridine (a selective blocker of voltage-dependent KC, 100 μM) prevented SNAP inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, whereas glibenclamide (a selective blocker of ATP-dependent KC, 1 μM) was ineffective. Iberiotoxin (a selective blocker of high conductance calcium-activated KC, 100 nM), as well charybdotoxin (a blocker of high and intermediate conductance calcium-activated KC, 100 nM) and apamine (a selective blocker of small conductance calcium-activated KC, 100 nM), blocked the antiproliferative effect induced by SNAP. NS1619 (an opener of high conductance calcium-activated KC, 1-100 μM), inhibited cell proliferation. In addition, sub-effective concentrations of ODQ (100 nM) and TEA (10 μM) synergized in blocking SNAP antiproliferative effects. Thus, voltage-dependent and calcium-activated but not ATP-dependent KC appear to have a prominent role, besides sGC activation, in NO-induced inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.