Description
Calcium Ionophore is an antibiotic that possesses weak in vitro activity against gram positive organisms. It greatly increases the ability of divalent ions to cross biological membranes, giving it properties as an ionophore , and specifically forms stable 2:1 complexes with divalent cations, rendering these ions soluble in ordinary organic solvents. Since Calcium Ionophore is highly selective for Ca2+ , it is commonly used to increase intracellular Ca2+ levels in intact cells . In cell culture it stimulates nitric oxide production by calmodulin-dependent constitutive nitric oxide synthase . It also acts as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation and an inhibitor of mitochondrial ATPase activity . Calcium Ionophore potentiates responses to NMDA but not quisqualate . It induces apoptosis in mouse lymphoma cell line (S49) but also has been shown to block apoptosis in other systems, such as when interleukin-3 is withdrawn from IL-3 dependent cells . It can lower the fractal dimension of cellular plasma membrane, leading to cell apoptosis of SK-BR-3 human breast cancer, and can significantly and rapidly raise the intracellular mobile Zn2+ content, leading to apoptosis of C6 glioma cells.
