Inhibition of Voltage-Gated K+ Channel Kv1.5 by Antiarrhythmic Drugs

Biochemistry. 2018 May 8;57(18):2704-2710. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00268. Epub 2018 Apr 25.

Abstract

Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to determine the inhibitory mechanisms of three drugs, 5-(4-phenoxybutoxy)psoralen (PAP-1), vernakalant, and flecainide, on the voltage-gated K+ channel Kv1.5, a target for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia. At neutral pH, PAP-1 is neutral, whereas the other two molecules carry one positive charge. We show that PAP-1 forms stable dimers in water, primarily through hydrophobic interactions between aromatic rings. All three molecules bind to the cavity between the Ile508 and Val512 residues from the four subunits of the channel. Once bound, the drug molecules are flexible, with the average root-mean-square fluctuation being between 2 and 3 Å, which is larger than the radius of gyration of a bulky amino acid. The presence of a monomeric PAP-1 causes the permeating K+ ion to dehydrate, thereby creating a significant energy barrier. In contrast, vernakalant blocks the ion permeation primarily via an electrostatic mechanism and, therefore, must be in the protonated and charged form to be effective.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence / genetics
  • Anisoles / chemistry
  • Anisoles / pharmacology
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / therapeutic use
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / drug therapy*
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / genetics
  • Binding Sites
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Ficusin / chemistry
  • Ficusin / therapeutic use
  • Flecainide / chemistry
  • Flecainide / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Kv1.5 Potassium Channel / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Kv1.5 Potassium Channel / chemistry*
  • Kv1.5 Potassium Channel / genetics
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Protein Conformation / drug effects
  • Pyrrolidines / chemistry
  • Pyrrolidines / pharmacology
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Substances

  • Anisoles
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
  • Kv1.5 Potassium Channel
  • Pyrrolidines
  • vernakalant
  • Flecainide
  • Ficusin