Potent block of Cl- channels by antiallergic drugs.

Two antiallergic drugs, cromolyn and RU 31156, were examined for their potency to block intermediate-conductance Cl- channels. For this, single Cl- channel activities of mucosal-type mast cells (RBL-2H3) and alternatively, of colonic carcinoma cells (HT29) were monitored employing the patch-clamp technique in the inside-out patch configuration. Here we show that intermediate-conductance Cl- channels of either cell type were blocked by both compounds. Cl- channel inhibition occurred by a slow rather than a flickering block and with a Hill coefficient around 1. RU 31156 was about one order of magnitude more potent (IC50 about 1 microM) than cromolyn. The IC50 values of each compound were not significantly different (p < 0.01) in the two cell types. Our data provide evidence for two novel Cl- channel blockers, which may be of further use in Cl- channel characterization as well as purification.