Ketamine Reduces the Surface Density of the Astroglial Kir4.1 Channel and Inhibits Voltage-Activated Currents in a Manner Similar to the Action of Ba 2+ on K + Currents.

A single sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine evokes rapid and long-lasting beneficial effects in patients with a major depressive disorder. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect are unknown. It has been proposed that astrocyte dysregulation of extracellular K ⁺ concentration ([K ⁺ ] _o ) alters neuronal excitability, thus contributing to depression. We examined how ketamine affects inwardly rectifying K ⁺ channel Kir4.1, the principal regulator of K ⁺ buffering and neuronal excitability in the brain. Cultured rat cortical astrocytes were transfected with plasmid-encoding fluorescently tagged Kir4.1 (Kir4.1-EGFP) to monitor the mobility of Kir4.1-EGFP vesicles at rest and after ketamine treatment (2.5 or 25 µM). Short-term (30 min) ketamine treatment reduced the mobility of Kir4.1-EGFP vesicles compared with the vehicle-treated controls ( p < 0.05). Astrocyte treatment (24 h) with dbcAMP (dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 5'-monophosphate, 1 mM) or [K ⁺ ] _o (15 mM), which increases intracellular cAMP, mimicked the ketamine-evoked reduction of mobility. Live cell immunolabelling and patch-clamp measurements in cultured mouse astrocytes revealed that short-term ketamine treatment reduced the surface density of Kir4.1 and inhibited voltage-activated currents similar to Ba ²⁺ (300 µM), a Kir4.1 blocker. Thus, ketamine attenuates Kir4.1 vesicle mobility, likely via a cAMP-dependent mechanism, reduces Kir4.1 surface density, and inhibits voltage-activated currents similar to Ba ²⁺ , known to block Kir4.1 channels.