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.