Blockade of the cardiac hERG channel is recognized as the main mechanism underlying the QT prolongation induced by many classes of drugs, including antipsychotics. However, antipsychotics interact with a variety of other pharmacological targets that could also modulate cardiac function. The present study aims to identify those key factors involved in the QT prolongation induced by antipsychotics. The interactions of 28 antipsychotics were measured on a variety of pharmacological targets. Binding affinity (Ki), functional channel blockade (IC50), and the corresponding ratios to total and free plasma drug concentration were compared with the corrected QT changes (QTc) associated with the therapeutic use of these drugs by multivariable linear regression analysis to determine the best predictors of QTc. Besides confirming hERG as the primary predictor of QTc, all analyses consistently show the concomitant involvement of NaV1.5 channel as modulating factor of the QTc related to hERG blockade. In particular, the hERG/NaV1.5 ratio explains the 57% of the overall QTc variability associated with antipsychotics. Since it is known that inhibition of late INa could offset the dysfunctional effects of hERG blockade, we hypothesize the inhibition of late INa as a crucial compensatory mechanism of the QTc associated with antipsychotics and hence an important factor to consider concomitantly with hERG blockade to appraise the arrhythmogenic risk of these drugs more accurately.
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