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[Advances in the association of ATP-sensitive potassium channels and Parkinson’s disease.] [Article in Chinese]

DU Xi-Xun, QIN Kang, JIAO Qian, XIE Jun-Xia, JIANG Hong^*

Department of Physiology, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Prevention of Neurological Disorders, Shandong Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071,China

Abstract

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP), as an inward rectifying potassium channel, are widely distributed in many types of tissues. KATP are activated by the depletion of ATP level and the increase in oxidative stress in cells. The activity of KATP couples cell metabolism with electrical activity and results in membrane hyperpolarization. KATP are ubiquitously distributed in the brain, including substantia nigra, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, dorsal nucleus of vagus and glial cells, and participate in neuronal excitability, mitochondria homeostasis and neurotransmitter release. Accumulating lines of evidence suggest that KATP are the major contributing factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This review discussed the association of KATP with the pathogenic processes of PD by focusing on the roles of KATP on the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, the functions of mitochondria, the firing pattern of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, the α-synuclein secretion from striatum, and the microglia activation.

Key words: ATP-sensitive potassium channels; Parkinson’s disease; dopaminergic neurons; substantia nigra; α-synuclein

Received: 2016-02-25　　Accepted: 2016-07-16

Corresponding author: 姜宏　　E-mail: hongjiang@qdu.edu.cn

Citing This Article：

DU Xi-Xun, QIN Kang, JIAO Qian, XIE Jun-Xia, JIANG Hong. [Advances in the association of ATP-sensitive potassium channels and Parkinson’s disease.] [Article in Chinese]. Acta Physiol Sin 2016; 68 (5): 644-648 (in Chinese with English abstract).