Isradipine belongs to the dihydropyridine (DHP) class of calcium channel blockers (CCBs), the most widely used class of CCBs. It is structurally related to felodipine, nifedipine, and nimodipine and is the most potent calcium-channel blocking agent of the DHP class. Isradipine binds to calcium channels with high affinity and specificity and inhibits calcium flux into cardiac and arterial smooth muscle cells. It exhibits greater selectivity towards arterial smooth muscle cells owing to alternative splicing of the alpha-1 subunit of the channel and increased prevalence of inactive channels in smooth muscle cells. Isradipine may be used to treat mild to moderate essential hypertension. (DrugBank) Isradipine belongs to the dihydropyridine (DHP) class of calcium channel blockers (CCBs), the most widely used class of CCBs. There are at least five different types of calcium channels in Homo sapiens: L-, N-, P/Q-, R- and T-type. CCBs target L-type calcium channels, the major channel in muscle cells that mediates contraction. Similar to other DHP CCBs, isradipine binds directly to inactive calcium channels stabilizing their inactive conformation. Since arterial smooth muscle depolarizations are longer in duration than cardiac muscle depolarizations, inactive channels are more prevalent in smooth muscle cells. Alternative splicing of the alpha-1 subunit of the channel gives isradipine additional arterial selectivity. At therapeutic sub-toxic concentrations, isradipine has little effect on cardiac myocytes and conduction cells. (DrugBank)

Isradipine References