Study of transmembrane La3+ movement in rat ventricular myocytes by the patch-clamp technique

We have studied transmembrane La3+ movement in rat ventricular myocytes for the first time by using the whole-cell patch-clamp recording mode. La3+ (0.01-5.0 mmol/L) could not bring out inward currents through the L-type calcium channel in rat ventricular myocytes, while it could enter the cells by the same way carried by 1μmol/L ionomycin. When the outward Na+ concentration gradient is formed, La3+ can enter the cells via Na-Ca exchange, and the exchange currentsincrease with the increase of external La3+ concentrations. But compared with Na-Ca exchange currents in the same concentration, the former is only 14%-38% of the latter. The patch-clamp experiment indicates that La3+ normally can not enter ventricular myocytes through L-type calcium channel, but it can enter the cells via Na-Ca exchange.