[Advances in the association of ATP-sensitive potassium channels and Parkinson's disease]

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K_ATP), as an inward rectifying potassium channel, are widely distributed in many types of tissues. K_ATP are activated by the depletion of ATP level and the increase in oxidative stress in cells. The activity of K_ATP couples cell metabolism with electrical activity and results in membrane hyperpolarization. K_ATP are ubiquitously distributed in the brain, including substantia nigra, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, dorsal nucleus of vagus and glial cells, and participate in neuronal excitability, mitochondria homeostasis and neurotransmitter release. Accumulating lines of evidence suggest that K_ATP are the major contributing factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). This review discussed the association of K_ATP with the pathogenic processes of PD by focusing on the roles of K_ATP on the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, the functions of mitochondria, the firing pattern of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, the α-synuclein secretion from striatum, and the microglia activation.