[Effects of calcium channel blockers and calmodulin inhibitors on the secretion of endothelin-1 in cultured endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE

The study is to investigate the effects of calcium channel blockers and calmodulin inhibitors on the secretion of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in cultured endothelial cells from human umbilical veins.

RESULTS

Results showed that calcium channel blockers verapamil (5.5 x 10(-6) mol/L, 5.5 x 10(-5) mol/L), diltiazen (2.4 x 10(-4) mol/L) and calmodulin inhibitors chlorpromazine (3.1 x 10(-5) mol/L, 3.1 x 10(-4) mol/L), berbamine (1.6 x 10(-5) mol/L, 1.6 x 10(-4) mol/L) significantly decreased medium ET-1 levels in cultured endothelial cells.

CONCLUSION

It was also indicated that extracellular calcium influx and calmodulin activity were necessary to the secretion of ET-1. In addition, nitroglycerine (2.2 x 10(-3) mol/L) remarkably reduced medium ET-1 levels in cultured endothelial cells, which suggested that nitric oxide might inhibit the secretion of ET-1.