Background-The development of atrium-selective antiarrhythmic agents is a current strategy for inhibiting atrial fibrillation (AF). The present study investigated whether the natural flavone acacetin from the traditional Chinese medicine Xuelianhua would be an atrium-selective anti-AF agent. Methods and Results-The effects of acacetin on human atrial ultrarapid delayed rectifier K ϩ current (I Kur ) and other cardiac ionic currents were studied with a whole-cell patch technique. Acacetin suppressed I Kur and the transient outward K ϩ current (IC 50 3.2 and 9.2 mol/L, respectively) and prolonged action potential duration in human atrial myocytes. The compound blocked the acetylcholine-activated K ϩ current; however, it had no effect on the Na ϩ current, L-type Ca 2ϩ current, or inward-rectifier K ϩ current in guinea pig cardiac myocytes. Although acacetin caused a weak reduction in the hERG and hKCNQ1/hKCNE1 channels stably expressed in HEK 293 cells, it did not prolong the corrected QT interval in rabbit hearts. In anesthetized dogs, acacetin (5 mg/kg) prolonged the atrial effective refractory period in both the right and left atria 1 to 4 hours after intraduodenal administration without prolongation of the corrected QT interval, whereas sotalol at 5 mg/kg prolonged both the atrial effective refractory period and the corrected QT interval. Acacetin prevented AF induction at doses of 2.5 mg/kg (50%), 5 mg/kg (85.7%), and 10 mg/kg (85.7%). Sotalol 5 mg/kg also prevented AF induction (60%). Conclusions-The present study demonstrates that the natural compound acacetin is an atrium-selective agent that prolongs the atrial effective refractory period without prolonging the corrected QT interval and effectively prevents AF in anesthetized dogs after intraduodenal administration. These results indicate that oral acacetin is a promising atrium-selective agent for the treatment of AF.

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To determine whether protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) modulates volume-sensitive chloride current (ICl.vol) in human atrial myocytes and to identify the PTKs involved, we studied the effects of broad-spectrum and selective PTK inhibitors and the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor orthovanadate (VO4 −3). ICl.vol evoked by hyposmotic bath solution (0.6-times isosmotic, 0.6T) was enhanced by genistein, a broad-spectrum PTK inhibitor, in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 22.4 μM); 100 μM genistein stimulated ICl.vol by 122.4 ± 10.6%. The genistein-stimulated current was inhibited by DIDS (4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid, 150 μM) and tamoxifen (20 μM), blockers of ICl.vol. Moreover, the current augmented by genistein was volume dependent; it was abolished by hyperosmotic shrinkage in 1.4T, and genistein did not activate Cl− current in 1T. In contrast to the stimulatory effects of genistein, 100 μM tyrphostin A23 (AG 18) and A25 (AG 82) inhibited ICl.vol by 38.2 ± 4.9% and 40.9 ± 3.4%, respectively. The inactive analogs, daidzein and tyrphostin A63 (AG 43), did not alter ICl.vol. In addition, the PTP inhibitor VO4 −3 (1 mM) reduced ICl.vol by 53.5 ± 4.5% (IC50 = 249.6 μM). Pretreatment with VO4 −3 antagonized genistein-induced augmentation and A23- or A25-induced suppression of ICl.vol. Furthermore, the selective Src-family PTK inhibitor PP2 (5 μM) stimulated ICl.vol, mimicking genistein, whereas the selective EGFR (ErbB-1) kinase inhibitor tyrphostin B56 (AG 556, 25 μM) reduced ICl.vol, mimicking A23 and A25. The effects of both PP2 and B56 also were substantially antagonized by pretreatment with VO4 −3. The results suggest that ICl.vol is regulated in part by the balance between PTK and PTP activity. Regulation is complex, however. Src and EGFR kinases, distinct soluble and receptor-mediated PTK families, have opposing effects on ICl.vol, and multiple target proteins are likely to be involved.