Nicotinic receptor-mediated release of noradrenaline in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y

Dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide (a nicotinic agonist) evokes noradrenaline release from human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells that have been pretreated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate for 8 min. This effect of dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide was inhibited by 1 microM mecamylamine but not by 1 microM atropine, which suggests that SH-SY5Y cells express nicotinic receptors coupled to the release of noradrenaline. Dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide-evoked release was enhanced by 5 microM Bay K 8644 (an L-type calcium agonist) and inhibited by 1 microM nifedipine. Dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide depolarised SH-SY5Y cells and enhanced the level of intracellular calcium in cells loaded with fura 2. The effects of dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide on noradrenaline release, depolarisation, and intracellular calcium levels were all inhibited by 1 microM desmethylimipramine. The results of this study show that nicotinic receptors in SH-SY5Y cells stimulate noradrenaline release by activation of L-type calcium channels.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide release and L-citrulline production from isolated ganglia of the myenteric plexus: evidence for regulation of vasoactive intestinal peptide release by nitric oxide

Vasoactive intestinal peptide release and L-[3H]citrulline production were examined in ganglia isolated from the myenteric plexus of guinea-pig intestine. The nicotinic agonist, 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperizinium stimulated vasoactive intestinal peptide release and L-[3H]citrulline production; the latter was considered an index of nitric oxide production. Both vasoactive intestinal peptide release and L-[3H]citrulline production were abolished by tetrodotoxin, hexamethonium, and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine. Inhibition of vasoactive intestinal peptide release by NG-nitro-L-arginine was reversed by L-arginine but not by D-arginine. Exogenous nitric oxide stimulated vasoactive intestinal peptide release whereas exogenous vasoactive intestinal peptide had no effect on L-[3H]citrulline production. The pattern of stimulation by nitric oxide and inhibition by NG-nitro-L-arginine implied that vasoactive intestinal peptide release is facilitated by and may be dependent on nitric oxide production. Consistent with this notion, vasoactive intestinal peptide release in response to either 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperizinium or nitric oxide was abolished by KT 5823, an inhibitor of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase activity and by LY83583, an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase activity. The study provides the first direct evidence of nitric oxide production from enteric ganglia.

The reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT) does not abolish the inhibitory nicotinic response recorded from rat dorsolateral septal neurons

Previous intracellular recordings have demonstrated that dorsolateral septal nucleus (DLSN) neurons express a novel nicotinic receptor which produces a direct membrane hyperpolarization when activated by nicotinic agonists. Activation of the classical excitatory nicotinic receptors has been shown to require a disulfide bond involving the cysteines at positions 192 and 193 of the alpha subunits of the receptor. Reduction of this cystine bond with dithiothreitol (DTT) abolishes agonist activation of excitatory nicotinic receptors. We have now examined whether DTT treatment of the inhibitory nicotinic receptor on DLSN neurons also abolishes the inhibitory nicotinic response. We find that the inhibitory response persists after treatment of the neurons with 1 mM DTT, even if the reduction is followed by alkylation of the receptor with bromoacetylcholine to prevent possible reformation of disulfide bonds. This result suggests that the agonist binding site on the inhibitory nicotinic receptor does not require an intact disulfide bond, similar to the bond on the alpha subunit of the excitatory nicotinic receptor, for agonist activation of the receptor. Some of these results have been previously reported in abstract form.

Inhibition of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by barbiturates and by procaine: do they act at different sites?

1. The effects of three barbiturates and the local anesthetic procaine on the ion channel function of mouse nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) muscle subtype expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes were examined by whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. 2. A concentration-response curve for the specific nicotinic agonist dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide (DMPP) was first determined. This agonist produced increasing whole-cell currents up to a concentration of 100 microM (EC50 = 13 microM), then decreased responses at higher concentrations. 3. The barbiturates (amobarbital, secobarbital, pentobarbital) and procaine produced reversible inhibition of DMPP-induced currents at clinically used concentrations. The two classes of drugs differed in the voltage dependence of the inhibition: procaine-induced inhibition was increased at more negative transmembrane holding potentials (-90 vs. -45 mV); whereas amobarbital-induced inhibition did not vary at different transmembrane potentials. 4. Mutant forms of the nAChR, containing single amino acid changes in the M2 regions of alpha and beta subunits, showed increased sensitivity to procaine but no change in sensitivity to amobarbital-induced inhibition. 5. These electrophysiologic studies provide further evidence that barbiturates and local anesthetics produce inhibition of the nAChR at different sites.

Whole-cell currents activated at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on ganglion cells isolated from goldfish retina

We have recorded whole-cell membrane currents in response to exogenously applied acetylcholine (ACh), nicotine, and 1,1 dimethyl-4-phenyl piperazinium iodide on retinal ganglion cells enzymatically dissociated from goldfish retina. Agonist applications induced nicotinic-type responses in a majority of cells when cells were isolated under optimal conditions. Currents were reminiscent of nicotinic-type ganglionic responses. Dose-response measurements of ACh-induced currents indicated an EC50 of 52 microM and a Hill coefficient of 0.6. Currents were selective for Na+ over Cl- and were highly inwardly rectifying. Responses were blocked reversibly by d-tubocurarine, hexamethonium chloride, and N-methyl-D-glucamine. In 50% of the cases, alpha-bungarotoxin reversibly blocked the current induced by ACh application. The blocking action of mecamylamine was irreversible and independent of the presence of agonist but was more effective in the presence of ACh. We conclude that functional nicotinic ACh receptors exist on most goldfish retinal ganglion cells.

Low-affinity mixed acetylcholine-responsive receptors at the apical membrane of frog tadpole skin

The larval frog skin has a very high electrical resistance and a corresponding low rate of transepithelial ion transport. Amiloride, a blocker of sodium transport in adult skin, transiently stimulates rather than inhibits short-circuit current (Isc) across larval skin through nonselective cation channels. Acetylcholine (ACh) stimulates Isc like amiloride, although the response is more prolonged. Pretreatment with ACh markedly suppressed amiloride stimulation of Isc; amiloride pretreatment also suppressed ACh stimulation. Half-maximal stimulation of Isc by ACh occurred at 347 microM. Stimulation by ACh was inhibited by both d-tubocurarine [dissociation constant (Kd) = 57 microM] and atropine (Kd = 49 microM). The specific nicotinic agonist 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium and the specific muscarinic agonist oxotremorine-M both stimulated Isc and were blocked by either atropine or d-tubocurarine. Reciprocal desensitization and blocker cross-reactivity suggest that ACh activates the same population of receptors as amiloride. This ACh-responsive receptor has characteristics of both nicotinic and muscarinic receptors found in other tissues.

Nereistoxin: a naturally occurring toxin with redox effects on neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in chick retina

Nereistoxin (NTX; 4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,2-dithiolane) is previously reported to block both muscle and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and reversibly inhibit radioligand binding to Torpedo nicotinic receptors. Here, we studied redox effects of NTX on neuronal nicotinic receptors in chick retinas by electrophysiological recordings and by [125I]neuronal bungarotoxin binding. NTX blocked retinal responses to the nicotinic agonist dimethylphenylpiperazinium (300 microM, 2 sec) with an IC50 of 3.5 microM. NTX inhibition was selective for nicotinic receptors, long lasting and not reversible upon washing. The nonselective oxidizing compound dithiobis(nitrobenzoic acid) (1 mM) transiently and repetitively reversed NTX (100 microM) inhibition (85% recovery). After application of the alkylating agent bromoacetylcholine (2 or 100 microM, with 2 microM neostigmine), dithiobis(nitrobenzoic acid) could no longer restore nicotinic function. d-Tubocurarine (300 microM) equally protected against alkylation with bromoacetylcholine (2 microM) after dithiothreitol (2 mM) or NTX treatment. The action of NTX differs from that of dithiothreitol because the agonist dimethylphenylpiperazinium (30 microM) protects against inactivation by dithiothreitol, but not by NTX. NTX reversibly inhibited [125I]neuronal bungarotoxin binding to chick retinal homogenates (IC50 = 16 microM). The present study suggests that nereistoxin or a metabolite is a potent antagonist as well as a selective reducing agent for nicotinic receptors in chick retina. As a dithiolane, this latter action by nereistoxin remains to be explained.

Release of nitric oxide by activation of nonadrenergic noncholinergic neurons of internal anal sphincter

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the direct release of nitric oxide (NO) in response to the stimulation of nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) nerves. The studies were performed on isolated smooth muscle strips of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) internal anal sphincter (IAS). Electrical field stimulation (EFS) using the appropriate parameters caused a frequency-dependent fall in the resting tone of the IAS. The release of NO was measured directly by the chemiluminescence method. The stimulation of NANC neurons by EFS and the nicotinic stimulant 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (DMPP) caused IAS relaxation with an accompanying release of NO. The release of NO and the fall in the resting tension of IAS in response to lower frequencies of EFS and DMPP were abolished by pretreatment of the smooth muscles with the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin and the NO-synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA). The obliteration of the release of NO and the IAS relaxation in the presence of L-NNA reversed to control levels by the addition of the NO precursor L-arginine. The effect of L-NNA and L-arginine on NO release and IAS relaxation was stereoselective, since D-NNA and D-arginine had no significant effect. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide also caused release of NO from IAS smooth muscle strips, which was abolished by L-NNA. However, isoproterenol and atrial natriuretic factor caused IAS relaxation without any increase in NO release. In conclusion, these studies demonstrate the direct release of NO in response to the stimulation of NANC inhibitory neurons of the gut.

Cholinergic modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate-evoked [3H]norepinephrine release from rat cortical slices

Previous work has shown that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation inhibits muscarinic receptor-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in brain slices. To further explore the potential interactions between NMDA receptors and cholinergic receptors, the effects of cholinergic agonists and NMDA on [3H]norepinephrine (NE) release from rat cortical slices were determined. Slices were labeled with [3H]NE, washed and treated with various agonists by transferring the slices through a series of vials at 1-min intervals. Radioactivity remaining in the medium was then quantitated to determine the fractional release of [3H]NE from the slices. Carbachol (30-3000 microM) slightly stimulated [3H]NE release from a basal level of 0.10 to approximately 0.35 fractional release by itself and significantly enhanced the effect of 250 microM NMDA (3.6 fractional release for NMDA and 5.3 for carbachol + NMDA) in a concentration-dependent manner. Carbachol (1 mM) increased the maximal response but had no effect on the EC50 of NMDA. Atropine (1 microM) significantly attenuated the effect of carbachol alone and the potentiation of NMDA-evoked [3H]NE release by carbachol, whereas d-tubocurarine (10 microM) inhibited the effect of carbachol alone but had no effect on the enhancement of the NMDA response by carbachol. Mecamylamine (100 microM) inhibited the effect of carbachol alone, but also inhibited the NMDA-evoked response with an IC50 of 16 microM. The nicotinic agonist, dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP) stimulated [3H]NE release (approximately 0.4 fractional release at 30 microM) and also potentiated NMDA-stimulated [3H]NE release (2.0 above NMDA alone). d-Tubocurarine, but not atropine, partially inhibited DMPP-stimulated [3H]NE release, but neither antagonist altered the enhancement of NMDA-stimulated [3H]NE release by DMPP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mechanism of blockade by flunarizine of bovine adrenal catecholamine release

How flunarizine, a class IV Ca2+ antagonist, affects the secretion of catecholamines in response to nicotinic receptor activation (10-s pulses with 100 microM dimethylphenylpiperazinium, DMPP) or direct depolarization of chromaffin cells (10-s pulses with 100 mM K+ and 2.5 mM Ca2+, 100 K+/2.5 Ca2+) was studied in bovine adrenal glands perfused with an oxygenated Krebs-Tris solution at 37 degrees C at a rate of 20 ml/min. Experimental protocols aimed to test voltage and time dependence of the flunarizine blocking effects on secretion are described. The DMPP pulses released an average of 217 micrograms catecholamines and the K+ pulses, an average of 117 micrograms. These responses were blocked by flunarizine concentration dependently; IC50s were 3.7 microM for DMPP and 1.1 microM for K+. Under polarizing conditions (60-s perfusion with a solution containing 5.9 mM K+ and nominally zero Ca2+), a 10-s pulse with 100 K+/2.5 Ca2+ released 117 +/- 26 micrograms of catecholamines (n = 12). Under depolarizing conditions (60-s perfusion with 118 K+/0 Ca2+ prior to the Ca2+ pulse), the pulse with 118 K+/2.5 Ca2+ released 307 +/- 36 micrograms of catecholamines (n = 14). Flunarizine blocked these secretory responses equally and concentration dependently with an IC50 of 3.4 microM under polarizing conditions and of 3.8 microM under depolarizing conditions. Thus, blockade by flunarizine of secretion was apparently not voltage-dependent. The blockade was, however, clearly dependent on the time of exposure of the adrenal medullary tissue to flunarizine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Studies on the location of catecholamine receptors in canine sympathetic ganglia

Receptors mediating catecholamine-induced inhibition were studied in cardiac ganglia of pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. Using selective agonists and antagonists the presence of three receptor subtypes was verified: alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors and dopamine D2 receptors. Activation of alpha 1-adrenoceptors or dopamine D2 receptors reduced the response to preganglionic nerve stimulation but not to direct stimulation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of the principal ganglion cells: response to both types of stimulation were reduced by activation of ganglionic alpha 2-adrenoceptors. These results suggested that two inhibitory systems were present in canine sympathetic ganglia and mediated the effects of exogenous catecholamines. One system involved alpha 1-adrenoceptors and dopamine D2 receptors located proximal to the synapse of the pre- and postganglionic neurons and the other involved alpha 2-adrenoceptors located distal to the intraganglionic synapse.

Nicotinic agonists, phorbol esters, and growth factors activate two extracellular signal-regulated kinases, ERK1 and ERK2, in bovine chromaffin cells

Treatment of bovine chromaffin cells with nicotinic agonists, phorbol esters, and growth factors increases protein kinase activity toward microtubule-associated protein-2 and myelin basic protein (MBP) in vitro. To characterize the kinases that are activated by these agents, we separated chromaffin cell proteins by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels into which MBP had been incorporated, allowed the proteins to renature, and then assayed MBP kinase activity by incubating the gels with [gamma-32P]ATP. Chromaffin cells contain a family of kinases that phosphorylate MBP in vitro. Two of these kinases, of M(r) 46,000 and 42,000 (PK46 and PK42), were activated by treatment of the cells with dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP), phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu), or insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Activation of PK46 and PK42 by DMPP was dependent on extracellular Ca2+, whereas the effects of PDBu and IGF-I were Ca2+ independent. Down-regulation of protein kinase C by incubation of the cells with PDBu abolished the activation of PK46 and PK42 by DMPP, PDBu, and IGF-I. Staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor, prevented the activation of PK46 and PK42 by DMPP and PDBu but did not block the activation of these kinases by IGF-I. Immunoblotting experiments with antiphosphotyrosine (anti-PTyr) antibodies demonstrated that agents that increased the kinase activities of PK46 and PK42 also increased the apparent PTyr content of M(r) 46,000 and 42,000 proteins. PK46 and PK42 comigrated with proteins that reacted with antibodies against extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs). Thus, PK46 and PK42 appear to be the bovine homologues of ERK1 and ERK2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Mechanoreceptor afferent activity compared with receptor field dimensions and pressure changes in feline urinary bladder

The relationship between vesical mechanoreceptor field dimensions and afferent nerve activity recorded in pelvic plexus nerve filaments was examined in chloralose-anesthetized cats. Orthogonal receptor field dimensions were monitored with piezoelectric ultrasonic crystals. Reflexly generated bladder contractile activity made measurements difficult, therefore data were collected from cats subjected to actual sacral rhizotomy. Afferent activity was episodic and was initiated at different pressure and receptor field dimension thresholds. Maximum afferent activity did not correlate with maximum volume or pressure. Furthermore, activity was not linearly related to intravesical pressure, receptor field dimensions, or calculated wall tension. Pressure-length hysteresis of the receptor fields occurred. The responses of identified afferent units and their associated receptor field dimensions to brief contractions elicited by the ganglion stimulant 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide (2.5-20 micrograms i.a.), studied under constant volume or constant pressure conditions, are compatible with bladder mechanoreceptors behaving as tension receptors. Because activity generated by bladder mechanoreceptors did not correlate in a simple fashion with intravesical pressure or receptor field dimensions, it is concluded that such receptors are influenced by the viscoelastic properties of the bladder wall. Furthermore, as a result of the heterogeneity of the bladder wall, receptor field tension appears to offer a more precise relationship with the activity of bladder wall mechanoreceptors than does intravesical pressure.

Effects of glycerol acetonide on adrenergic neurotransmission in isolated rabbit heart

In the present investigation, the solvent glycerol acetonide (GA, CAS 100-79-8) was added (110 mg/min) to the Tyrode buffer perfusing an isolated rabbit heart preloaded with 14C-noradrenaline (NA). GA inhibits the neuronal uptake of NA but stimulates its spontaneous release. The latter effect was not ascribed to the stimulation of NA biosynthesis or to an inhibition of its catabolism. Moreover GA inhibits the evoked-release of the transmitter by tyramine and dimethyl phenyl piperazinium (DMPP). By stimulating the spontaneous release of NA, GA may induce both a depletion of myocardial stores and an important increase of the transmitter, inhibiting thereby the evoked-release by a negative feed-back mechanism on presynaptic alpha 2 adrenoceptors. Hence, the impact of GA on some steps of the cardiac adrenergic transmission may provide an adequate explanation for its observed hypotensive effect.

Pharmacological properties of the homomeric alpha 7 receptor

The pharmacological properties of the alpha-bungarotoxin sensitive alpha 7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) were studied upon reconstitution in Xenopus oocytes. Channels formed by alpha 7 are about 10-fold more sensitive to nicotine and cytisine than to ACh but are little, if at all, activated by the ganglionic agonist 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide (DMPP). Tubocurarine (TC) was found to act as a non-competitive inhibitor, whereas dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DH beta E) behaves as a pure competitive inhibitor whose blockade is fast and fully reversible. In addition, the alpha 7 receptor displays a poor sensitivity to methonium salts. The pharmacological properties of the alpha 7 channels are readily distinguishable from those of other identified neuronal nicotinic receptors.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells

Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were used to investigate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y. Acetylcholine, nicotine and the neuronal nAChR agonist dimethylphenylpiperazinium iodide (DMPP), but not muscarine, all evoked inward currents in the cells (voltage-clamped at -60 mV). DMPP's actions were concentration- and voltage-dependent, and were antagonised by the neuronal nAChR antagonist mecamylamine (1-3 microM). Atropine was ineffective at 0.1 microM, but at 1 microM caused significant reductions in current amplitudes. Pre-incubation of cells with 2 microM alpha-cobratoxin had no effect on the actions of DMPP, and inward currents could also be induced when extracellular NaCl was replaced with CaCl2. DMPP also reversibly depolarized SH-SY5Y cells. These findings clearly identify nAChRs in SH-SY5Y cells, and provide two possible mechanisms by which receptor activation may lead to noradrenaline release, namely by triggering Ca2+ influx through the nAChR itself or by opening voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.

The adenosine analogue N6-L-phenylisopropyladenosine inhibits catecholamine secretion from bovine adrenal medulla cells by inhibiting calcium influx

We reported earlier that adenine nucleotides and adenosine inhibit acetylcholine-induced catecholamine secretion from bovine adrenal medulla chromaffin cells. In this article, we used an adenosine analogue, N6-L-phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA), to study the mechanism underlying inhibition of catecholamine secretion by adenosine. PIA inhibits secretion induced by a nicotinic agonist, 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium, or by elevated external K+. The half-maximal effect on 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium-induced secretion occurred at approximately 5 x 10(-5) M. The inhibition is immediate and reversible. Fura-2 measurements of cytosolic free Ca2+ indicate that PIA inhibits Ca2+ elevation caused by stimulation; measurements of 45Ca2+ influx show that PIA inhibits uptake of Ca2+. PIA does not inhibit calcium-evoked secretion from digitonin-permeabilized cells, nor does PIA cause any significant change in the dependence of catecholamine secretion on calcium concentration. These data suggest that inhibition by PIA occurs at the level of the voltage-sensitive calcium channel.

Permeation and inactivation by calcium and manganese of bovine adrenal chromaffin cell calcium channels

Stimulation of fura-2-loaded bovine chromaffin cells with the nicotinic agonist 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide (DMPP; 10 microM) or depolarization with high [K+] (50 mM) accelerated the entry of both Ca2+ and Mn2+, used here as a Ca2+ surrogate for Ca2+ channels. Removal of extracellular Na+ prevented the effects of DMPP but did not modify the effects of K+, indicating that Na+ is necessary for coupling of Ca2+ entry to the nicotinic receptor activation and that the ionophore associated with it is functionally impermeable to divalent cations. DMPP- as well as K(+)-evoked Ca2+ and Mn2+ influx were blocked completely by Ni2+ but only partially by dihydropyridines, suggesting that, in addition to L-type Ca2+ channels, other Ca2+ entry pathways may be present. Inactivation of Ca2+ channels, followed by comparing the rates of Mn2+ uptake at different time periods after the addition of DMPP or high K+, did not happen in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. When 1 mM Ca2+ was present, a delayed inhibition (half time, 10-20 s) was observed, suggesting that it is not due to the entry of Ca2+ itself but to the increase of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) that takes a few seconds to develop. The influx of Ca2+, estimated from the increase of [Ca2+]i, was also impaired in a time-dependent fashion by previous entry of Mn2+. Inactivation of Ca2+ entry was achieved at estimated mean intracellular Mn2+ concentrations as low as 10(-9) M.

Muscarinic nature of cholinergic receptors in the cerebellar flocculus involved in the enhancement of the rabbit's optokinetic response

Intrafloccular micro-injection of the aselective cholinergic agonist carbachol enhances the optokinetic reflex (OKR)17. Histochemical and physiological studies have identified cholinergic receptors of the muscarinic as well as nicotinic type in the cerebellar cortex, and both have been implicated in cholinergic transmission. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the receptor type involved in the control of OKR. For that purpose, effects of injections of the nicotinic N1 agonist DMPP on the OKR and vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) were compared with injections of the muscarinic agonist betanechol and the aselective cholinergic agonist carbachol. Injection of betanechol mimicked the enhancement of the OKR by carbachol, while DMPP had no effect. We conclude that muscarinic receptors are involved in the positive modulatory action of the cholinergic system in the cerebellar flocculus.

Nicotine-induced depolarization of cerebral cortical synaptosomes is dependent upon sodium

Earlier studies from this laboratory demonstrated that activation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors of cerebral cortical synaptosomes of the rat produced a decrease in the accumulation of [3H]tetraphenylphosphonium ([3H]TPP+) as a result of a decreased synaptosomal membrane potential. In the present study, the role of sodium in the effect of nicotine on the accumulation of [3H]TPP+ and the estimated potential difference was explored. Replacement of buffer sodium with either sucrose or N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG), attenuated the depolarization produced by the sodium channel activator, veratridine and had no effect on potassium-induced depolarization. The effect of nicotine on accumulation of [3H]TPP+ into cerebral cortical synaptosomes was abolished in sucrose buffer and attenuated in NMDG buffer. 1,1-Dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide (DMP; 30 microM) produced a small increase in the influx of 22Na+ into cerebral cortical synaptosomes. The effect of DMPP on the influx of 22 Na+ was not blocked by tetrodotoxin. These results support the hypothesis that the nicotinic cholinergic receptor in the brain, functions as a sodium ionophore and further demonstrate that accumulation of synaptosomal [3H]TPP+ provides a simple tool with which to assess the effect of nicotine on sodium permeability through open nicotinic cholinergic receptor ionophores.

Actions of cholinergic agonists and antagonists on the efferent synapse in the frog sacculus

Intracellular recordings were made from hair cells in the frog saccular epithelium isolated with its innervating nerves. Inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (IPSPs) were recorded from hair cells when the efferent fibers were activated by electrical stimulation. The effects of acetylcholine (ACh), cholinomimetics, and cholinergic antagonists on the efferent synapse were studied in a preparation where the IPSPs can be observed directly. ACh or carbachol (CCh) produced a transient membrane hyperpolarization with a decrease in input resistance followed by an abolition or reduction of the IPSP. In a low Ca2+ medium where efferent synaptic activity was abolished, ACh or CCh still induced hyperpolarization, though the response appeared to be smaller than that in normal medium. Neither nicotinic (dimethyl-4-phenyl-piperazinium (DMPP), phenyltrimethylammonium (PTMA) and nicotine) nor muscarinic (muscarine, methacholine, bethanechol and oxotremorine) agonists induced the membrane hyperpolarization, but the former drugs inhibited the IPSPs while the latter drugs did not. Both d-tubocurarine and atropine inhibited the IPSP, but the d-tubocurarine was more potent, causing inhibition even at a dose of 0.5 microM while 2 microM or more atropine was needed. The ACh- or CCh-induced hyperpolarization was inhibited completely by d-tubocurarine (5 microM), but only slightly by atropine (5 microM). These results may indicate that the IPSP and the effects of ACh or CCh are based on a direct interaction between ACh or CCh and ACh receptors on the hair cells.

Reversal of experimental hemorrhagic shock by dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP)

In a rat model of hemorrhagic shock which caused the death of all control rats within 30 min, i.v. injection of the ganglion-stimulating drug dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP) caused a dose-dependent reversal of the shock condition--without the need for reinfusion of the shed blood--starting from the dose of 4 ng/kg i.v. Shock reversal was associated with the mobilization of residual blood and improvement in blood flow, particularly at the carotid level. These results could influence our thinking on pathophysiology and first-aid management of shock.

Cholinoceptor regulation of cyclic AMP levels in bovine adrenal medullary cells

1. The regulation of adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) levels by cholinoceptors has been studied in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. 2. Acetylcholine (100 microM), nicotine (10 microM) and dimethylphenylpiperazinium (20 microM) each increased cellular cyclic AMP levels 2 to 4 fold over 5 min in the absence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors. The muscarinic agonist acetyl-beta-methylcholine (100 microM) had no effect either on its own or on the response to nicotine. The responses to acetylcholine and nicotine were unaffected by atropine (1 microM) but were abolished by mecamylamine (5 microM). 3. Cellular cyclic AMP increased transiently during continuous exposure to nicotine (1-20 microM), with the largest response seen after 5 min, a smaller response after 20 min, and no change in cyclic AMP levels seen after 90 or 180 min. The maximal response after 5 min stimulation was seen with 5-10 microM nicotine and the EC50 was about 2 microM. In contrast, extracellular cyclic AMP levels did not change after 5 or 20 min stimulation with nicotine, but increased slightly after 90 min and further after 180 min. 4. The cellular cyclic AMP response to nicotine (10 microM) was unchanged or weakly enhanced in the presence of the unselective phosphodiesterase inhibitor, isobutylmethylxanthine, and was unchanged in the presence of rolipram. Nicotine did not interact synergistically with low concentrations of forskolin. The response was however completely abolished in the absence of extracellular Ca2+.

Nicotinic acetylcholine currents in cultured postnatal rat hippocampal neurons

Nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) currents were studied in cultured postnatal rat hippocampal neurons, using whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques. In most cells, ACh produces one of two types of response. One class of ACh currents exhibits rapid and profound desensitization and is sensitive to inhibition by alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha BTXN). The second class activates slowly and exhibits no desensitization during prolonged agonist applications. This slow current is insensitive to alpha BTXN. Both the fast and slow responses exhibit inwardly rectifying current-voltage relationships and pass little current at positive membrane potentials. Both currents can be recorded in the presence of 1 microM atropine but are blocked by 0.1-1.0 mM d-tubocurarine and 0.1-1.0 mM mecamylamine. These observations suggest heterogeneity of nicotinic ACh receptors in rat hippocampal neurons and provide support for functional alpha BTXN-sensitive nicotinic receptors in this region.