Aims/hypothesis. The ATP-regulated potassium (K ATP ) channel in the pancreatic beta cell couples the metabolic state to electrical activity. The primary regulator of the K ATP channel is generally accepted to be changes in ATP/ADP ratio, where ATP inhibits and ADP activates channel activity. Recently, we showed that long-chain CoA (LC-CoA) esters form a new class of potent K ATP channel activators in rodents, as studied in inside-out patches. Methods. In this study we have investigated the effects of LC-CoA esters in human pancreatic beta cells using the inside-out and whole-cell configurations of the patch clamp technique. Results. Human K ATP channels were potently activated by acyl-CoA esters with a chain length exceeding 12 carbons. Activation by LC-CoA esters did not require the presence of Mg 2+ or adenine nucleotides. A detailed characterization of the concentration-dependent relationship showed an EC 50 of 0.7±0.1 µmol/l. Furthermore, in the presence of an ATP/ADP ratio of 10 (1.1 mmol/l total adenine nucleotides), whole-cell K ATP channel currents increased approximately sixfold following addition of 1 µmol/l LC-CoA ester. The presence of 1 µmol/l LC-CoA in the recording pipette solution increased beta-cell input conductance, from 0.5±0.2 nS to 2.5±1.3 nS. Conclusion/interpretation. Taken together, these results show that LC-CoA esters are potent activators of the K ATP channel in human pancreatic beta cells. The fact that LC-CoA esters also stimulate K ATP channel activity recorded in the whole-cell configuration, points to the ability of these compounds to have an important modulatory role of human beta-cell electrical activity under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. [Diabetologia (2004) essential function has been included in the model of glucose-induced insulin secretion. In this model, increases in blood glucose levels lead to metabolism of glucose which generates an increase in the ATP/ADP ratio. The consensus view is that increases in the ATP/ADP ratio promote closure of the beta-cell K ATP channel, thereby depolarizing the cell membrane resulting in opening of voltage-dependent Ca 2+ channels. The subsequent rise in cytoplasmic free Ca 2+ concentration triggers a series of events leading to exocytosis of insulin. Hence, the K ATP channel provides a critical link between glucose metabolism, electrical activity and insulin secretion in the pancreatic beta cell.The most important molecular regulators of K ATP channel activity are believed to be adenine nucleo-ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels play a key role in the coupling between cellular metabolism and electrical activity in a wide range of tissues. Since the discovery of these channels in the beta cell [1], their