A calcium channel opener is a type of
drug
A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...
which facilitates
ion transmission through
calcium channel
A calcium channel is an ion channel which shows selective permeability to calcium ions. It is sometimes synonymous with voltage-gated calcium channel, which are a type of calcium channel regulated by changes in membrane potential. Some calcium chan ...
s.
An example is
Bay K8644, which is an
analogue of
nifedipine that specifically and directly activates
L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels.
In contrast to Bay K8644, which is not for clinical use,
ambroxol is a frequently used mucolytic drug that triggers lysosomal secretion by mobilizing calcium from acidic calcium stores. This effect does most likely not occur by a direct interaction between the drug and a lysosomal calcium channel, but indirectly by neutralizing the acidic pH within lysosomes. Calcium permeable ion channels in lysosomal membranes that may be activated by a luminal pH increase include two pore channels (TPCs), mucolipin TRP channels (TRPMLs) and purinergic receptors of the P2X channel type.
See also
*
Calcium channel blocker
Calcium channel blockers (CCB), calcium channel antagonists or calcium antagonists are a group of medications that disrupt the movement of calcium () through calcium channels. Calcium channel blockers are used as antihypertensive drugs, i.e., as ...
References
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