Evidence for voltage-dependent block of cardiac sodium channels by tetrodotoxin

The effects of tetrodotoxin (TTX) on cardiac sodium channels in guinea-pig ventricular muscle were investigated. Membrane potential was controlled using a single sucrose gap voltage clamp method, and the maximum upstroke velocity of the ventricular action potential (Vmax) was used as an indicator of drug-free sodium channels. Reduction of Vmax by TTX was found to be both voltage- and time-dependent, similar to the effects of many local anesthetic drugs, with the exception that TTX concentrations high enough to produce significant use-dependent block (e.g. 2 microM), also produced significant tonic block, even at potentials negative to -85 mV. The mechanism underlying use-dependent block was determined by defining the time course of block development at potentials between -40 and +20 mV, and the time course of recovery at -85 mV. In 2 microM TTX, the time course of block development at +20 mV contained two phases, a fast phase (tau less than 3 ms) having a mean amplitude of 8.1 +/- 3.2% of control Vmax, and a slow phase (tau = 429 +/- 43 ms) having an amplitude of 35 +/- 2% of control Vmax (n = 5). Recovery from use-dependent block at -85 mV occurred with a time constant of 324 +/- 58 ms (n = 5). The effects of TTX could be well-described by a modulated receptor model with an estimated 12 mV drug-induced shift of inactivation, and state-dependent dissociation constants of 10, 4 and 0.3 microM for rested, activated and inactivated channels. These same drug rate constants could also be used to adequately simulate the reported effects of TTX on plateau sodium currents in a variant model with slow inactivation kinetics.