Study of NO action on calcium-activated potassium channel of the rat artery smooth muscle cells

Nitric oxide (NO) released from the endothelium or from NO-donors is a powerful vasodilator. Its effect is mediated partly by vascular smooth muscle high conductance calcium-activated potassium (Kca) channels. Contradictory data exist as to whether NO activated the KCa channel directly or indirectly via protein kinase G (PKG). Thus the hypothesis that NO-donors can activate the KCa directly was investigated using the patch-clamp technique and freshly isolated smooth muscle cells from the rat tail artery. In inside-out experiments, the activity of KCa-channels was increased 1.61 +/- 0.20-fold (n = 10) by 10 microM SNP and 1.45 +/- 0.17-fold (n = 8) by 10 microM SNAP. However, the activity of KCa channels was also increased 1.46 +/- 0.20-fold (n = 8) by addition of the experimental bath solution. Thus these results suggest that NO released from NO-donors cannot activate KCa channel of the rat tail artery smooth muscle cells directly.