Inhibition of Cav3.1 channel by silver ions.

We have investigated the effects of AgCl and AgNO3 on the Cav3.1 calcium channels stably expressed in the HEK 293 cells. Ca2+ was used as a charge carrier. Both forms of Ag+ blocked the Cav3.1 channel and negatively shifted the I-V relations in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibition of current amplitude by AgCl was voltage-dependent and increased with increasing amplitude of the depolarizing pulse. Furthermore, AgCl but not AgNO3 accelerated the kinetics of current activation. No effect on current inactivation or steady-state inactivation of the channel was observed for AgCl or AgNO3.