Swelling-activated cation channels mediate depolarization of rat cerebrovascular smooth muscle by hyposmolarity and intravascular pressure

1. Increases in intravascular pressure depolarize vascular smooth muscle cells. Based on the attenuating effects of Cl- channel antagonists, it has been suggested that swelling-activated Cl- channels may be integral to this response. Consequently, this study tested for the presence of a swelling-activated Cl- conductance in both intact rat cerebral arteries and isolated rat smooth muscle cells. 2. A 50 mosmol l-1 hyposmotic challenge (300 to 250 mosmol l-1) constricted rat cerebral arteries. This constriction contained all the salient features of a pressure-induced response including smooth muscle cell depolarization and a rise in intracellular Ca2+ that was blocked by voltage-operated Ca2+ channel antagonists. The hyposmotically induced depolarization was attenuated by DIDS (300 μM) and tamoxifen (1 μM), a response consistent with the presence of a swelling-activated Cl- conductance. 3. A swelling-activated current was identified in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells. This current was sensitive to Cl- channel antagonists including DIDS (300 μM), tamoxifen (1 μM) and IAA-94 (100 μM). However, contrary to expectations, the reversal potential of this swelling-activated current shifted with the Na+ equilibrium potential and not the Cl- equilibrium potential, indicating that the swelling-activated current was carried by cations and not anions. The swelling-activated cation current was blocked by Gd3+, a cation channel antagonist. 4. Gd3+ also blocked both swelling- and pressure-induced depolarization of smooth muscle cells in intact cerebral arteries. 5. These findings suggest that swelling- and pressure-induced depolarization arise from the activation of a cation conductance. This current is inhibited by DIDS, tamoxifen, IAA-94 and gadolinium.