The calmodulin inhibitor CGS 9343B inhibits voltage-dependent K+ channels in rabbit coronary arterial smooth muscle cells

•We investigated the effects of CGS 9394B on Kv channels.•CGS 9394B inhibited Kv current in a state-, time-, and use-dependent manner.•Caution is required when using CGS 9394B in vascular function studies.

We investigated the effects of the calmodulin inhibitor CGS 9343B on voltage-dependent K+ (Kv) channels using whole-cell patch clamp technique in freshly isolated rabbit coronary arterial smooth muscle cells. CGS 9343B inhibited Kv currents in a concentration-dependent manner, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 0.81 μM. The decay rate of Kv channel inactivation was accelerated by CGS 9343B. The rate constants of association and dissociation for CGS 9343B were 2.77 ± 0.04 μM− 1 s− 1 and 2.55 ± 1.50 s− 1, respectively. CGS 9343B did not affect the steady-state activation curve, but shifted the inactivation curve toward to a more negative potential. Train pulses (1 or 2 Hz) application progressively increased the CGS 9343B-induced Kv channel inhibition. In addition, the inactivation recovery time constant was increased in the presence of CGS 9343B, suggesting that CGS 9343B-induced inhibition of Kv channel was use-dependent. Another calmodulin inhibitor, W-13, did not affect Kv currents, and did not change the inhibitory effect of CGS 9343B on Kv current. Our results demonstrated that CGS 9343B inhibited Kv currents in a state-, time-, and use-dependent manner, independent of calmodulin inhibition.