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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Utilizing the Precision-Cut Lung Slice to Study the Contractile Regulation of Airway and Intrapulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle
Published on: May 5, 2022
Benidipine, an anti-hypertensive drug, relaxes mouse airway smooth muscle
Yongle Yang1, Weiwei Chen1, Nana Wen1
1Institute For Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan 430074, China.
Aims:
Benidipine is a dihydropyridine (DHP) derived Ca2+ antagonist, can block triple Ca2+ channels (L, N, and T). It has been used as a safety anti-hypertensive drug because of its long-acting relaxant effect on vascular smooth muscle (VSM). However, whether benidipine has similar pharmacological actions in airway smooth muscle (ASM) is unknown. This research aims to reveal the relaxant property and Ca2+ antagonistic effect of benidipine on ASM.
Main Methods:
The relaxant property of mouse ASM was investigated by tissue tension tests, and Ca2+ antagonistic effect was evaluated through patch-clamp techniques.
Key Findings:
Benidipine caused dose-dependent relaxations on high K+ (80 mM) induced precontraction in mouse ASM, which relied on inhibition of extracellular Ca2+ influx, and 1 μM benidipine totally blocked L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (LVDCCs) currents in airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). Benidipine also showed dose-dependent inhibition of ACh-induced precontraction with or without the LVDCCs blocker nifedipine, and 100 μM benidipine blocked ACh-stimulated Ca2+ influx through not only LVDCCs but also non-selective cation channels (NSCCs).
Significance:
Benidipine blocked LVDCCs and NSCCs to abolish these channels-mediated Ca2+ influx, which relaxed precontracted ASM. This study represented benidipine with a new potential medicinal value for ASM hypercontractility.
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