Articles
Vol. 70 No. 4 (2026)
https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2026.4534

Short- and long-term effects of dronedarone on Cav3.1- and Cav3.2-T-type calcium channel current

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Published: 20 October 2026
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T-type calcium channel, MI, dronedarone, CACNA1G, CACNA1H

Authors

Xuan Jiang
Postdoctoral Mobile Station, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Jianan Xu
Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Honghou He
Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Zelong Cao
Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Da Liu
Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Zhiyan Chen
Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Ligang Ding
Arrhythmia Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Xicheng District, Beijing, China.
Mingqi Zheng
mzheng@hebmu.edu.cn
Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.

T-type calcium channels (TTCCs), including the Cav3.1 and Cav3.2 subtypes, play a critical role in regulating cardiac electrical activity. Their abnormal expression is closely associated with arrhythmias and cardiac dysfunction caused by myocardial infarction (MI). Dronedarone, a multi-target antiarrhythmic drug, is widely used to treat atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter but has shown adverse effects under pathological conditions such as MI. This study aims to investigate the direct effects and underlying mechanisms of dronedarone on TTCCs. Using neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, HEK293T cells transfected with Cav3.1 and Cav3.2, and MI rat model, we systematically analyzed the effects of dronedarone on TTCC activity. Dronedarone significantly inhibited Cav3.2 channel activity with an IC50 of 9.20 µM, while its effect on Cav3.1 was weaker (IC50 = 46.41 µM). Chronic treatment with dronedarone also slowed the activation and inactivation kinetics of TTCCs. In vivo experiments demonstrated that dronedarone exacerbated myocardial damage and fibrosis in the MI model. These findings suggest that dronedarone inhibits TTCC activity, particularly the Cav3.2 subtype, and alters its kinetic properties. This study reported the electrophysiological effects of dronedarone on T-type calcium channels, providing new insights into its electrophysiological properties and potential role in adverse cardiac events.

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CRediT authorship contribution

Xuan Jiang, conceptualization, investigation, writing – original draft. Ligang Ding, conceptualization, investigation, writing – original draft. Mingqi Zheng, conceptualization, investigation, writing – original draft. Jianan Xu, data curation. Honghou He, data curation. Zelong Cao, formal analysis. Da Liu, formal analysis. Zhiyan Chen, formal analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

How to Cite



1.
Jiang X, Xu J, He H, Cao Z, Liu D, Chen Z, et al. Short- and long-term effects of dronedarone on Cav3.1- and Cav3.2-T-type calcium channel current. Eur J Histochem [Internet]. 2026 Oct. 20 [cited 2026 Oct. 21];70(4). Available from: https://www.ejh.it/ejh/article/view/4534
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