Do calcium channel blockers applied to cardiomyocytes cause increased channel expression resulting in reduced efficacy?

In the initial hours following the application of the calcium channel blocker (CCB) nifedipine to microtissues consisting of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), we observe notable variations in the drug’s efficacy. Here, we investigate the possibility that these temporal changes in CCB effects are associated with adaptations in the expression of calcium ion channels in cardiomyocyte membranes. To explore this, we employ a recently developed mathematical model that delineates the regulation of calcium ion channel expression by intracellular calcium concentrations. According to the model, a decline in intracellular calcium levels below a certain target level triggers an upregulation of calcium ion channels. Such an upregulation, if instigated by a CCB, would then counteract the drug’s inhibitory effect on calcium currents. We assess this hypothesis using time-dependent measurements of hiPSC-CMs dynamics and by refining an existing mathematical model of myocyte action potentials incorporating the dynamic nature of the number of calcium ion channels. The revised model forecasts that the CCB-induced reduction in intracellular calcium concentrations leads to a subsequent increase in calcium ion channel expression, thereby attenuating the drug’s overall efficacy. The data and fit models suggests that dynamic changes in cardiac cells in the presence of CCBs may be explainable by induced changes in protein expression, and that this may lead to challenges in understanding calcium based drug effects on the heart unless timings of applications are carefully considered.