scholarly journals The role of Ca2+ in the protoveratrine-induced release of γ-aminobutyrate from rat brain slices

1980 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
M C W Minchin

1. Protoveratrine A increased the release of gamma-amino[3H]butyrate from small slices of rat cerebral cortex. This effect increased with increasing protoveratrine concentration, reaching a maximum at 100 microM. 2. Removal of Ca2+ from the superfusing medium did not change the increase in release due to 10 microM-protoveratrine; however, the Ca2+ antagonists, compound D-600, La3+, Mn2+, Mg2+ and also high Ca2+ concentration inhibited the effect of the alkaloid, as did procaine. 3. Protoveratrine A increased the uptake of 22Na+ into the slices with a similar dose-response curve to that found for gamma-aminobutyrate release. For the most part, the substances that inhibited protoveratrine-stimulated gamma-aminobutyrate release also inhibited 22Na+ uptake, although the correlation was not perfect. 4. Although extracellular Ca2+ is not required for protoveratrine-induced gamma-aminobutyrate release, an increase in Na+ influx that is susceptible to inhibition by some Ca2+ antagonists does appear to be associated with this phenomenon. However, the possibility remains that changes in the free intracellular Ca2+ concentration may be important for transmitter release induced by depolarizing veratrum alkaloids.

1987 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 2380-2387 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Weathersby ◽  
B. L. Hart ◽  
E. T. Flynn ◽  
W. F. Walker

In the calculation of decompression schedules, it is commonly assumed that only the inert gas needs to be considered; all inspired O2 is ignored. Animal experiments have shown that high O2 can increase risk of serious decompression sickness (DCS). A trial was performed to assess the relative risks of O2 and N2 in human no-decompression dives. Controlled dives (477) of 30- to 240-min duration were performed with subjects breathing mixtures with low (0.21–0.38 ATA) or high (1.0–1.5 ATA) Po2. Depths were chosen by a sequential dose-response format. Only 11 cases of DCS and 18 cases of marginal symptoms were recorded despite exceeding the presently accepted no-decompression limits by greater than 20%. Analysis by maximum likelihood showed a shallow dose-response curve for increasing depth. O2 was estimated to have zero influence on DCS risk, although data variability still allows a slight chance that O2 could be 40% as effective as N2 in producing a risk of DCS. Consideration of only inert gases is thus justified in calculating human decompression tables.


1991 ◽  
Vol 204 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matsuda Toshio ◽  
Shimizu Isao ◽  
Baba Akemichi

1999 ◽  
Vol 837 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 229-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R Jayakumar ◽  
R Sujatha ◽  
V Paul ◽  
C Asokan ◽  
S Govindasamy ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 552 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Funahashi ◽  
Yoshihiro Mitoh ◽  
Atsushi Kohjitani ◽  
Ryuji Matsuo

Hypertension ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 698-698
Author(s):  
John Quilley ◽  
Yue Qiu

P30 Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant responses to acetylcholine (Ach) in rat aorta are mediated solely by NO. Rings precontracted with U46619 were used to investigate the role of endothelial K + channels. Thus, any effect of K + channel inhibitors on Ach responses in the absence of an effect on those to nitroprusside (NP) can be attributed to interference with Ach-induced stimulation of NO. Vasorelaxant responses to Ach (log EC 50 -7.29M) were abolished by removal of the endothelium or inhibition of NO synthesis with nitroarginine (100μM) which potentiated responses to NP (log EC 50 -9.41M vs -8.47M for control). In the presence of TEA (10mM) to inhibit K + channels, the dose-response curve for Ach, but not NP, was shifted to the right (log EC 50 -6.06). Elevation of extracellular K + (25mM KCl)also shifted the dose-response curve for Ach to the right. Inhibitors of specific types of K + channels: BaCl 2 (30μM), apamin (100nM), glibenclamide (10μM), charybdotoxin (50nM) and iberiotoxin (100nM) were without effect on dose-response curves to either Ach or NP. However, the combination of apamin (100nM) and charybdotoxin (50nM) but not apamin plus iberiotoxin, reduced relaxant responses to Ach (log EC 50 -6.95M) without affecting those to NP.These results confirm that Ach-induced relaxation of rat aorta is mediated entirely by endothelium-derived NO, the release of which apparently involves hyperpolarization of the endothelium. This effect is dependent on activation of a K + channel that is blocked by a combination of apamin/charybdotoxin but neither agent alone, possibly indicating characteristics of both Ca 2+ - activated and voltage-dependent K + channels.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 1297-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Girard ◽  
J. R. Seoane ◽  
J. J. Matte

Fourteen sheep were used to study the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the hypothalamic control of feed intake. Injections (1 μL) of pentobarbital (262 nmol) into preoptic and paraventricular areas induced feeding in satiated sheep. Injections of GABA into the same loci gave variable results, probably because the neuronal and glial uptake of GABA limits its effects. Muscimol, a GABA agonist with a higher affinity for postsynaptic GABA receptors than GABA, injected at doses from 0 to 0.750 nmol, gave a cubic dose–response curve; the highest feed intake was measured at 0.5 nmol. The response induced by muscimol was blocked by preinjections of two GABA antagonists, picrotoxin and bicuculline, with picrotoxin being more effective than bicuculline. Muscimol responsive loci were identified mainly in the preoptic, paraventricular, and anterior hypothalamus. The data suggests that neurons sensitive to gamma-aminobutyric acid may be implicated in the control of feed intake in sheep.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (3) ◽  
pp. L232-L237
Author(s):  
K. S. Lindeman ◽  
L. B. Fernandes ◽  
T. L. Croxton ◽  
C. A. Hirshman

To elucidate the mechanism of hypoxic relaxation of airway smooth muscle in vitro, we investigated the role of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in this response. Second- and third-order porcine bronchial rings were suspended in 10-ml organ baths containing Krebs-Henseleit solution. To demonstrate the presence of KATP channels in this tissue, bronchial rings were contracted with carbachol (1 microM) in the presence of glibenclamide (100 microM), a KATP channel blocker, or the vehicle dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (0.1 ml), and dose-response curves to levcromakalim (a KATP channel opener) or isoproterenol were constructed. In separate experiments, either glibenclamide or DMSO was added to the chamber and rings were contracted with carbachol (1 microM) in the presence of 95% O2-5% CO2. At the plateau, airways were relaxed with either isoproterenol (0.1 or 0.3 microM) or hypoxia (50, 28, or 0% O2, with constant 5% CO2). Glibenclamide, when compared with DMSO, shifted the dose-response curve to levcromakalim, but not to isoproterenol. Glibenclamide attenuated hypoxic relaxation in rings exposed to 50% O2 (from 35 +/- 4% to 23 +/- 3%, n = 6, P < 0.001) and increased the time to 63% relaxation in rings exposed to 50% O2 or to 28% O2. Responses in rings exposed to 0% O2 or to isoproterenol (0.1 or 0.3 microM) were not significantly altered. The ability of glibenclamide to attenuate the maximum response to 50% O2 and to increase the time to 63% relaxation during exposure to 50 or 28% O2 suggests that one component of hypoxic bronchodilation during moderate degrees of hypoxia is opening of KATP channels.


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