PurposeHepatic stellate cells (HSC) are a type of pericyte with varying characteristics according to their location. However, the electrophysiological properties of HSC are not completely understood. Therefore, this study investigated the difference in the voltage-dependent K+ currents in HSC.Materials and MethodsThe voltage-dependent K+ currents in rat HSC were evaluated using the whole cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique.ResultsFour different types of voltage-dependent K+ currents in HSC were identified based on the outward and inward K+ currents. Type D had the dominant delayed rectifier K+ current, and type A had the dominant transient outward K+ current. Type I had an inwardly rectifying K+ current, whereas the non-type I did not. TEA (5mM) and 4-AP (2mM) suppressed the outward K+ currents differentially in type D and A. Changing the holding potential from -80 to -40mV reduced the amplitude of the transient outward K+ currents in type A. The inwardly rectifying K+ currents either declined markedly or were sustained in type I during the hyperpolarizing step pulses from -120 to -150mV.ConclusionThere are four different configurations of voltage-dependent K+ currents expressed in cultured HSC. These results are expected to provide information that will help determine the properties of the K+ currents in HSC as well as the different type HSC populations.