KCNK3 and heart failure: Our present findings indicate that chronic oral administration of SPIR, a competitive antagonist of MRs, not only decreased elevated BP, but also improved impaired gain of baroreflex in TASK−/− mice, consistent with a previous report showing that oral administration of low-dose SPIR attenuated sympathetic drive and improved baroreflex function in rats with heart failure (Grassi et al., 1995).