Nitrendipine-induced inhibition of calcium influx in a human T-cell clone: role of cell depolarization.

An increase in intracellular calcium concentration stimulated by anti-CD2 or CD3 antibodies has been measured with Fura-2 in P28 cells, a human CD4+ T cell clone. This intracellular calcium increase was sensitive to membrane potential changes, being increased when the cells were hyperpolarized and decreased when they were depolarized. The intracellular calcium increase was inhibited by nitrendipine (1-50 microM). Nitrendipine also induced a depolarization of the cells, due to the blockade of a potassium conductance. The inhibition of the calcium increase caused by nitrendipine could be partially reversed by hyperpolarizing the cells with valinomycin. It is concluded that the effects of nitrendipine on potassium channels may account for a large part of the inhibition that nitrendipine exerts on the calcium increase elicited by CD2 or CD3 stimulation.