• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.323-327
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• 2017

QT prolongation is an electrocardiographic change that can lead to lethal arrhythmia. Acquired QT prolongation is known to be caused by drugs and electrolyte abnormalities. We report three cases in which the prolonged QT interval was improved at the time of operation by briefly discontinuing the drugs suspected to have caused the QT prolongation observed on preoperative electrocardiography. The QTc of cases 1, 2, and 3 improved from 518 to 429 ms, 463 to 441 ms, and 473 to 443 ms on discontinuing the use of a gastrointestinal prokinetic agent, a proton pump inhibitor, and a molecular targeted drug, respectively. These cases were considered to have drug-induced QT prolongation. We reaffirmed that even drugs administered for conditions unrelated to cardiac diseases can have adverse side effect of QT prolongation. In conclusion, our cases indicate that dental surgeons should be aware of the dangerous and even potentially lethal side effects of QT prolongation. For safe oral and maxillofacial surgery, cooperation with medical departments in various fields is important.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2009

Since the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) of the European Union issued in 1997 a "points to consider" document for the assessment of the potential for QT interval prolongation by non-cardiovascular agents to predict drug-induced torsades de pointes (TdP), the QT liability has become the critical safety issue in the development of pharmaceuticals. As TdP is usually linked to delayed cardiac repolarization, international guideline (ICH S7B) has advocated the standard repolarization assays such as in vitro IKr (hERG current) and in vivo QT interval, or in vitro APD (as a follow up) as the best biomarkers for predicting the TdP risk. However, the recent increasing evidence suggests that the currently used above biomarkers and/or assays are not fully predictive for TdP, but also does not address potential new druginduced TdP due to the selective disruption of hERG protein trafficking to the cell membrane or VT and/or VF with QT shortening. There is, therefore, an urgent need for other surrogate markers or assays that can predict the proarrhythmic potential of drug candidate. In this review, we provide an ideal pre-clinical strategy to predict the potentials of QT liability and lethal arrhythmia of the drug candidates with recent issues in this field in mind, not at the expense of discarding therapeutically innovative drugs.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.145-149
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• 2018

Cases of drug-induced QT prolongation and sudden cardiac deaths resulted in market withdrawal of many drugs and world-wide regulatory changes through accepting the ICH guidelines E14 and S7B. However, because the guidelines were not comprehensive enough to cover the electrophysiological changes by drug-induced cardiac ion channel blocking, CiPA was initiated by experts in governments and academia in the USA, Europe, and Japan in 2013. Five years have passed since the launch of the CiPA initiative that aimed to improve the current ICH guidelines. This report reviews the current achievements of the CiPA initiative and explores unresolved issues.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.448-453
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• 2010

Drug-induced long QT syndrome is known to be associated with the onset of torsades de pointes (TdP), resulting in a fatal ventricular arrhythmia. QT interval prolongation can result from blocking the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channel, which is important for the repolarization of cardiac action potential. Nicardipine, a Ca-channel blocker and antihypertensive agent, has been reported to increase the risk of occasional serious ventricular arrhythmias. We studied the effects of nicardipine on hERG $K^+$ channels expressed in HEK293 cells and Xenopus oocytes. The cardiac electrophysiological effect of nicardipine was also investigated in this study. Our results revealed that nicardipine dose-dependently decreased the tail current of the hERG channel expressed in HEK293 cells with an $IC_{50}$ of 0.43 ${\mu}M$. On the other hand, nicardipine did not affect hERG channel trafficking. Taken together, nicardipine inhibits the hERG channel by the mechanism of short-term channel blocking. Two S6 domain mutations, Y652A and F656A, partially attenuated (Y652A) or abolished (F656A) the hERG current blockade, suggesting that nicardipine blocks the hERG channel at the pore of the channel.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.215-220
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• 2009

Chlorpheniramine is a potent first-generation histamine $H_1$ receptor antagonist that can increase action potential duration and induce QT prolongation in several animal models. Since block of cardiac human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channels is one of leading causes of acquired long QT syndrome, we investigated the acute effects of chlorpheniramine on hERG channels to determine the electrophysiological basis for its proarrhythmic potential. We examined the effects of chlorpheniramine on the hERG channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes using two-microelectrode voltage-clamp techniques. Chlorpheniramine induced a concentration-dependent decrease of the current amplitude at the end of the voltage steps and hERG tail currents. The $IC_{50}$ of chlorpheniramine-dependent hERG block in Xenopus oocytes decreased progressively relative to the degree of depolarization. Chlorpheniramine affected the channels in the activated and inactivated states but not in the closed states. The S6 domain mutations Y652A and F656A partially attenuated (Y652A) or abolished (F656A) the hERG current block. These results suggest that the $H_1$ antihistamine, chlorpheniramine is a blocker of the hERG channels, providing a molecular mechanism for the drug-induced arrhythmogenic side effects.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.44-55
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• 2021

Objectives: As the use of herbal medicinal products (HMPs) increases worldwide, systematic verification of the safety of HMPs is required. The induction of cardiotoxicity is one of the major factors in post-approval withdrawal of medicinal products, and drug-induced cardiotoxicity assessment is emerging as an important step in drug development. In the present study, we evaluated human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel-related cardiotoxicity to predict the risk of cardiac arrhythmia in thirteen herbal medicines known to have cardiac toxicity. Methods: We measured the inhibition rate of hERG potassium channel activity of 13 medicinal herbal extracts in hERG-expressing HEK 293 cells using an automated patch-clamping system. Quinidine was used as a positive control for inhibition of hERG activity. Results: Extracts of Evodiae Fructus, Strychni Semen, and Corydalis Tuber potently inhibited the activity of hERG, and IC₅₀ values were 3.158, 19.87, and 41.26 ㎍/mL, respectively. Cnidi Fructus, Ephedra Herba, Lithospermi Radix, Polygoni Multiflori Radix, Visci Ramulus et Folium, Asiasari Radix et Rhizoma, and Scolopendra weakly inhibited hERG activity, and the IC₅₀ value for each herbal medicine was more than 400 ㎍/mL. Aconiti Kusnezoffii Tuber and two types of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata (Po and Yeom) had weak inhibitory activity against hERG, and the IC₅₀ values were more than 700 ㎍/mL. The IC₅₀ value of quinidine against hERG was 1.021 𝜇M. Conclusion: Evodiae Fructus, Strychni Semen, and Corydalis Tuber acted as potent inhibitors against hERG. These herbal medicines may cause cardiac arrhythmia through QT prolongation, so care should be taken when taking them.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.386-389
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• 2015

Sibutramine is an anorectic that has been banned since 2010 due to cardiovascular safety issues. However, counterfeit drugs or slimming products that include sibutramine are still available in the market. It has been reported that illegal sibutramine-contained pharmaceutical products induce cardiovascular crisis. However, the mechanism underlying sibutramine-induced cardiovascular adverse effect has not been fully evaluated yet. In this study, we performed cardiovascular safety pharmacology studies of sibutramine systemically using by hERG channel inhibition, action potential duration, and telemetry assays. Sibutramine inhibited hERG channel current of HEK293 cells with an $IC_{50}$ of $3.92{\mu}M$ in patch clamp assay and increased the heart rate and blood pressure ($76{\Delta}bpm$ in heart rate and $51{\Delta}mmHg$ in blood pressure) in beagle dogs at a dose of 30 mg/kg (per oral), while it shortened action potential duration (at $10{\mu}M$ and $30{\mu}M$, resulted in 15% and 29% decreases in $APD_{50}$, and 9% and 17% decreases in $APD_{90}$, respectively) in the Purkinje fibers of rabbits and had no effects on the QTc interval in beagle dogs. These results suggest that sibutramine has a considerable adverse effect on the cardiovascular system and may contribute to accurate drug safety regulation.