Electrophysiological Response of Cultured Trabecular Meshwork Cells to Synthetic Ion Channels Original Research Article

The response of living cells of the trabecular meshwork to synthetic ion channels is described. The THF-gramicidin hybrids THF-gram and THF-gram-TBDPS as well as a linked gA-TBDPS and gramicidin A were applied to cultured ocular trabecular meshwork cells. THF-gram application (minimal concentration, 10−8 M; saturation, 10−7 M) led to an additional conductance which displayed characteristics of weak Eisenman-I-selective cation channels, no cell destruction, an asymmetric change of the inward/outward currents, and higher current densities using Cs+ as charge carrier compared to Na+ and K+. Linked-gA-TBDPS showed at 10−12 M increases of the membrane conductance comparable to gA at 10−7 M and a much faster response of the cells. Thus, THF-gramicidin hybrids form a basis for the use of synthetic ion channels in biological systems, which eventually may lead to new therapeutic approaches.