Late Sodium Current Inhibitors as Potential Antiarrhythmic Agents

Based on recent findings, an increased late sodium current (I_Na,late) plays an important pathophysiological role in cardiac diseases, including rhythm disorders. The article first describes what is I_Na,late and how it functions under physiological circumstances. Next, it shows the wide range of cellular mechanisms that can contribute to an increased I_Na,late in heart diseases, and also discusses how the upregulated I_Na,late can play a role in the generation of cardiac arrhythmias. The last part of the article is about I_Na,late inhibiting drugs as potential antiarrhythmic agents, based on experimental and preclinical data as well as in the light of clinical trials.