Submitted on June 12, 2009
Accepted on June 13, 2009
A redox-metabolic-electrical remodeling in the diseased left and right ventricle: direct clinical implications in heart disease and beyond
Peter R Dromparis1 and Evangelos D Michelakis1*
1 University of Alberta
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: emichela{at}cha.ab.ca.
Both our first and our last breath are associated with inhibition of voltage-gated K+ channels (Kv). Upon our first breath, the transition from the fetal to the adult circulation is driven by the contraction of the ductus arteriosus (DA); which is mediated by the closure of redox-sensitive DA smooth muscle cell Kv channels, causing membrane depolarization, influx of Ca++ and DA contraction (18). For most of us, our last breath will take place during a cardiac arrest, a condition precipitated or initiated, at least in part, by inhibition or deficiency of myocardial Kv channels (6, 24).
