Polymyxin B, a novel inhibitor of red cell Ca2+-activated K+ channel

Polymyxin B (PXB), a cyclic peptide antibiotic, in concentrations 0.1-3.0 mg/ml (0.08-4.0 mmol/l), inhibited the K+ efflux induced by opening of the Ca2+-activated K+ channel (the Gárdos effect) in intact human red blood cells. The inhibition was observed when the Gárdos effect was elicited by Ca2+ in the presence of vanadate, or propranolol, in ATP-depleted cells, and in A23187-treated cells. The inhibition of the Gárdos effect is caused neither by the inhibition of the anion channel by PXB nor by the inhibition of Ca2+ entry. It can be ascribed to the inhibition of the Ca2+-activated K+ channel. The mechanism of the inhibition remains to be elucidated.