Cholestatic effects of the K+ channel blockers Ba2+ and TEA occur through different pathways in the rat liver.

The role of K+ channels in bile acid-independent bile flow (BAIF) was studied in the isolated and bile duct-cannulated perfused rat liver by changing the driving force on K+ and by using a variety of K+ channel blockers. Bile flow rate, effluent perfusate K+ content, and portal pressure were measured. Increase in perfusate K+ from 5.9 to 80 mM caused inhibition of bile flow that could be fitted to a Boltzmann distribution, indicating partial dependence of bile formation on the K+ equilibrium potential and hence K+ channel activity. To investigate this further, the effects of compounds established as K+ channel blockers in liver or other tissues were surveyed. Ba2+ (1-5 mM) inhibited mean bile flow by 20%. Tetraethylammonium (TEA) inhibition of basal bile flow was biphasic with saturable (IC50 approximately 0.7 mM) and linear components. In contrast, infusion of the K+ channel blockers 4-aminopyridine (5 mM), cesium (2.5 mM), quinidine (0.1 mM), iberiotoxin (90 nM), or paxilline (100 nM) did not affect bile flow. As expected for a K+ channel blocker, Ba2+ caused a net K+ uptake. Conversely, TEA did not affect basal K+ fluxes, although TEA-induced cholestasis was accompanied by a 26% decrease in biliary glutathione excretion. These results suggest that the partial cholestasis induced by the K+ channel blockers Ba2+ and TEA occurs by significantly different mechanisms. Whereas the Ba2+ response implicates K+ channel activity as a significant driving force in BAIF, TEA-sensitive K+ channels are not present or are not involved in bile formation.