2,4-dinitrophenol acutely inhibits rabbit atrial Ca2+ -sensitive Cl- current (I(TO2)).

We investigated the effects of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), the uncoupler of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, on the Ca2+ -sensitive Cl- current component of the transient outward current (I(TO2)). Amphotericin B perforated-patch, whole-cell patch-clamp technique was employed (35 degrees C) using enzymatically isolated single rabbit atrial myocytes. We defined I(TO2) as the amplitude of the 2 mM 4-aminopyridine resistant transient outward current sensitive to anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (A9C). Between +5 and +45 mV, 0.2 mM A9C inhibited I(TO2) by approximately 70% (n = 13). Within 30 s after application of 0.2 mM DNP, both normal I(TO2) transients (n = 8) and the I(TO2) transients that remained after A9C treatment (n = 8) were inhibited completely. In cells expressing I(TO2) (70% of total), DNP also suppressed an A9C-insensitive slow outward current by approximately 40%, but the holding current at -80 mV was unaffected. There was a approximately 2 min latency between inhibitory effects of DNP and subsequent membrane current increase, presumably caused by activation of the ATP-sensitive K+ channels (n = 16). We conclude that DNP acutely inhibits I(TO2) via a mechanism presumably separate from metabolic inhibition.