A Novel Role of Uricosuric Agent Benzbromarone in BK Channel Activation and Reduction of Airway Smooth Muscle Contraction.

The uricosuric drug benzbromarone, widely used for treatment of gout, hyperpolarizes the membrane potential of airway smooth muscle cells, but how it works remains unknown. Here we show a novel role of benzbromarone in activation of large conductance calcium-activated K + channels. Benzbromarone results in dose-dependent activation of macroscopic big potassium (BK) currents about 1.7- to 14.5-fold with an EC 50 of 111 μ M and shifts the voltage-dependent channel activation to a more hyperpolarizing direction about 10 to 54 mV in whole-cell patch clamp recordings. In single-channel recordings, benzbromarone decreases single BK α channel closed dwell time and increases the channel open probability. Coexpressing β 1 subunit also enhances BK activation by benzbromarone with an EC 50 of 67 μ M and a leftward shift of conductance-voltage (G-V) curve about 44 to 138 mV. Site-directed mutagenesis reveals that a motif of three amino acids 329 RKK 331 in the cytoplasmic linker between S6 and C-terminal regulator of potassium conductance (RCK) gating ring mediates the pharmacological activation of BK channels by benzbromarone. Further ex vivo assay shows that benzbromarone causes reduction of tracheal strip contraction. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that uricosuric benzbromarone activates BK channels through molecular mechanism of action involving the channel RKK motif of S6-RCK linker. Pharmacological activation of BK channel by benzbromarone causes reduction of tracheal strip contraction, holding a repurposing potential for asthma and pulmonary arterial hypertension or BK channelopathies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We describe a novel role of uricosuric agent benzbromarone in big potassium (BK) channel activation and relaxation of airway smooth muscle contraction. In this study, we find that benzbromarone is an activator of the large-conductance Ca 2+ - and voltage-activated K + channel (BK channel), which serves numerous cellular functions, including control of smooth muscle contraction. Pharmacological activation of BK channel by the FDA-approved drug benzbromarone may hold repurposing potential for treatment of asthma and pulmonary arterial hypertension or BK channelopathies.