EN
Voltage-gated potassium channels of Kv1.3 type are expressed in the plasma membrane of many cells. It has been shown that these channels are involved in proliferation of lymphocytes and other cell types including some cancer tissues. Blocking of Kv1.3 channels may inhibit cell proliferation at early phase of this process. In this study, the influence of 8-prenylnaringenin – a prenylated flavonoid isolated from common hop – on the activity of Kv1.3 channels in human leukemic Jurkat T cell line was investigated applying the “whole-cell” patch-clamp technique. 8-prenylnaringenin was identified as the most potent plant phytoestrogen, it may also modulate the processes of cancer cells proliferation, inflammation and angiogenesis. Application of 8-prenylnaringenin in the range from 2–7 µM reduced the current amplitude significantly in a dose-dependent manner. The currents were blocked completely at 10 µM concentration. The inhibitory effect was reversible. It was accompanied by a significant acceleration of the currents’ inactivation rate without changing their activation rate. We suggest that 8-prenylnaringenin may block potassium channels via an “open channel block” mechanism.