Ginger has been widely used as a flavor, food, and traditional medicine for centuries. 6‐Gingerol (6‐Gin) is the active components of ginger and offers some beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases. Here, the effects of 6‐Gin on L‐type Ca
2+
current (I
Ca‐L
), contractility, and the Ca
2+
transients of rat cardiomyocytes, were investigated via patch‐clamp technique and the Ion Optix system. The 6‐Gin decreased the I
Ca‐L
of normal and ischemic ventricular myocytes by 58.17 ± 1.05% and 55.22 ± 1.34%, respectively. 6‐Gin decreased I
Ca‐L
in a concentration‐dependent manner with a half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) of 31.25 μmol/L. At 300 μmol/L, 6‐Gin reduced the cell shortening by 48.87 ± 5.44% and the transients by 42.5 ± 9.79%. The results indicate that the molecular mechanisms underlying the cardio‐protective effects of 6‐Gin may because of a decreasing of intracellular Ca
2+
via the inhibition of I
Ca‐L
and contractility in rat cardiomyocytes.
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