Liquiritigenin, an active component of Xin Su Ning, inhibits hERG
channel conductance in a bisigmoidal fashion
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Xin Su Ning (XSN) is a multi-herbal
anti-arrhythmic medicine with strong clinical evidence endorsing its
safety, tolerability and efficacy. The medicine contains over 70
identified active components, and the mechanisms of many are yet to be
fully understood. In silico modelling has identified several compounds
likely to be of pharmacological significance, one of which is
Liquiritigenin (LTG). Experimental approach: To investigate the LTG’s
mechanism on cardiac ion channels and to assess the compound’s broader
anti-arrhythmic contribution to XSN, whole cell patch clamp experiments
were carried out on a CHO cell line stably transfected to express hERG
K+ channels. Key Results: LTG weakly inhibited the peak conductance of
the channel with unusual bisigmoidal kinetics. Performing channel
activation and inactivation kinetics experiments showed that at very low
concentrations, LTG bound to the open hERG channel and antagonised hERG
activation without affecting inactivation. Only at very high
concentrations was hERG inactivation potentiated and channel conductance
completely inhibited. Conclusions and Implications: This study suggests
LTG may bind to multiple hERG channel sites and modulate channel
activity to give an anti-arrhythmic effect.