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Research ArticleCARDIOVASCULAR

Effects of Cocaine and Its Major Metabolites on the HERG-Encoded Potassium Channel

Scott Ferreira, William J. Crumb Jr., Carol G. Carlton and Craig W. Clarkson
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics October 2001, 299 (1) 220-226;
Scott Ferreira
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William J. Crumb Jr.
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Carol G. Carlton
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Craig W. Clarkson
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Abstract

Cocaine abuse has been reported to result in QT prolongation in humans; however, the mechanisms underlying this effect are still poorly understood. In this study we compared the direct effects of cocaine and its major metabolites in human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably transfected with human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG). Cocaine blocked HERG-encoded potassium channels with an IC50 of 4.4 ± 1.1 μM (22°C). Cocaethylene (a metabolite formed in the presence of ethanol) had a significantly lower IC50 of 1.2 ± 1.1 μM (P < 0.0001), and cocaine's primary pyrolysis metabolite methylecgonidine blocked HERG with a higher IC50 of 171.7 ± 1.2 μM. In contrast, 1 mM ecgonine methylester or benzoylecgonine produced only a minimal block (21 ± 4 and 15 ± 8%, respectively). Blockade of HERG by cocaine, cocaethylene, and methylecgonidine increased significantly over the voltage range where HERG activates, but became constant at voltages where HERG activation was maximal, indicating that all three drugs block open channels, but by a mechanism that is not highly sensitive to voltage per se. Cocaine and cocaethylene also significantly slowed the time course of deactivation at −60 mV, an effect consistent with open channel block. We conclude that cocaethylene is slightly more potent than cocaine as a blocker of HERG, whereas methylecgonidine has much lower potency, and both benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester are essentially inactive at clinically relevant concentrations.

Footnotes

  • This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01HL64555 and R01HL-63128).

  • Abbreviations:
    HERG
    humanether-a-go-go-related gene
    HEK
    human embryonic kidney
    ANOVA
    analysis of variance
    • Received April 9, 2001.
    • Accepted June 19, 2001.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics: 299 (1)
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Vol. 299, Issue 1
1 Oct 2001
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Research ArticleCARDIOVASCULAR

Effects of Cocaine and Its Major Metabolites on the HERG-Encoded Potassium Channel

Scott Ferreira, William J. Crumb, Carol G. Carlton and Craig W. Clarkson
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics October 1, 2001, 299 (1) 220-226;

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Research ArticleCARDIOVASCULAR

Effects of Cocaine and Its Major Metabolites on the HERG-Encoded Potassium Channel

Scott Ferreira, William J. Crumb, Carol G. Carlton and Craig W. Clarkson
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics October 1, 2001, 299 (1) 220-226;
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