A slow calcium-binding Mg-EDTA buffer for intracellular perfusion

Studying the currents in perfused cells or fragments of their membranes with voltage-gated calcium channels and Ca²⁺-dependent ion channels, it is often expedient to use a buffer that binds Ca²⁺ slowly. For this purpose, we propose EDTA in excess Mg²⁺. Calculation of its kinetic characteristics shows that the characteristic time of Ca²⁺ binding can to be made to reach tens of milliseconds; in the cytoplasm this time does not exceed 1 ms even with a large calcium signal.