The effects of external and internal application of disopyramide on the ionic currents of the squid giant axon

1 The actions of the class I anti-arrythmic agent, disopyramide, on the ionic currents of the voltage-clamped squid axon have been investigated, by use of both extra-axonal and intra-axonal routes of application. 2 Extra-axonal application of 0.1 mM disopyramide produced no significant effects on the membrane currents. External disopyramide at 1.0 mM caused small, poorly reversible inhibition of both sodium and potassium currents. This block was use-dependent and was enhanced by use of test stimuli to more positive membrane potentials. 3 Intra-axonal application of 0.1 mM disopyramide caused a 40% reduction in the first-pulse sodium current (tonic block) and an additional use-dependent block. Analysis of first-pulse currents in terms of the Hodgkin-Huxley formalism indicated that the block resulted mainly from a reduction in the maximum available sodium conductance (gNa); there were no effects on the voltage dependence of the steady-state activation and inactivation parameters, m infinity and h infinity. 4 The use-dependent actions of disopyramide were investigated with a double voltage-clamp pulse protocol. The significant use-dependent effects of the drug were a further reduction in gNa and an increase in the time constant of inactivation (tau h). 5 Disopyramide appears to enter a blocking site in the sodium channel which is only readily accessible from the axoplasmic phase. Partition to the site depends on membrane voltage and on the state of the channel gates. Disopyramide binds at a significant rate to both open and inactivated forms of the sodium channel.