ATP-sensitive potassium channels: A double-edged sword in neurodegenerative diseases

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP channels), a group of vital channels that link the electrical activity of the cell membrane with cell metabolism, were discovered on the ventricular myocytes of guinea pigs by Noma using the patch-clamp technique in 1983. Subsequently, KATP channels have been found to be expressed in pancreatic β cells, cardiomyocytes, skeletal muscle cells, and nerve cells in the substantia nigra (SN), hippocampus, cortex, and basal ganglia. KATP channel openers (KCOs) diazoxide, nicorandil, minoxidil, and the KATP channel inhibitor glibenclamide have been shown to have anti-hypertensive, anti-myocardial ischemia, and insulin-releasing regulatory effects. Increasing evidence has suggested that KATP channels also play roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), vascular dementia (VD), Huntington's disease (HD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. KCOs and KATP channel inhibitors protect neurons from injury by regulating neuronal excitability and neurotransmitter release, inhibiting abnormal protein aggregation and Ca2+ overload, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and microglia activation. However, KATP channels have dual effects in some cases. In this review, we focus on the roles of KATP channels and their related openers and inhibitors in neurodegenerative diseases. This will enable us to precisely take advantage of the KATP channels and provide new ideas for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.