Whole cell membrane currents in cultured pig endocardial endothelial cells

The whole cell mode of the patch-clamp technique was applied to cultured endocardial endothelial cells from the porcine right ventricle to study their electrophysiological properties. With isotonic pipette and bathing solutions (300-310 mosmol/kgH2O), single endocardial endothelial cells had resting membrane potentials ranging from -20 to -90 mV (mean = -55 +/- 20 mV, n = 48). In voltage-clamp experiments, the main membrane current was an inwardly rectifying K+ current with all characteristics described for the inwardly rectifying K+ current in vascular endothelium. Outward currents at positive clamp potentials were small, but when cell swelling was induced by means of a hypertonic pipette or hypotonic bathing solution and ATP (5 mM) was present in the pipette solution, a large outwardly rectifying current developed. This volume-activated current was insensitive to extracellular K+ or Na+ concentration variations but sensitive to changes in extracellular Cl- concentrations. It was inhibited in the presence of 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2 disulfonic acid (100-300 microM) and flufenamic acid (50-100 microM). Volume-activated Cl- channels are different from the stretch-activated cationic channels described in vascular endothelium and might be involved in the regulation of cell volume or the response to mechanical stretch.