Presynaptic Modulation of Synaptic Transmission by Pregnenolone Sulfate as Studied by Optical Recordings

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 4131-4144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Chen ◽  
Masahiro Sokabe

The effects of pregnenolone sulfate (PREGS), a putative neurosteroid, on the transmission of perforant path–granule cell synapses were investigated with an optical recording technique in rat hippocampal slices stained with voltage-sensitive dyes. Application of PREGS to the bath solution resulted in an acute augmentation of EPSP in a dose-dependent manner. The PREGS effect was dependent on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o), but independent of NMDA receptor activation. PREGS caused a decrease in paired-pulse facilitation, which implies that PREGS positively modulates presynaptic neurotransmitter releases. Firmer support for this mechanism was that PREGS augmented the synaptically induced glial depolarization (SIGD) that reflects the activity of electrogenic glutamate transporters in glial cells during the uptake of released glutamate. The selective α7nAChR antagonist α-BGT or MLA prevented the SIGD increase by PREGS. Furthermore DMXB, a selective α7nAChR agonist, mimicked the PREGS effect on SIGD and antagonized the effect of PREGS. The presynaptic effect of PREGS was partially attenuated by the L-type Ca2+ channel (VGCC) blocker nifedipine. Based on these findings, we proposed a novel mechanism underlying the facilitated synaptic transmission by PREGS: this neurosteroid sensitizes presynaptic α7nAChR that is followed by an activation of L-type VGCC to increase the presynaptic glutamate release.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 567-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tor S. Haugstad ◽  
Iver A. Langmoen

The effect of the glutamate analogue L- α-aminoadipate ( αAA) on the release of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from rat hippocampal slices was investigated in vitro. Oxygen/glucose deprivation caused a large release of glutamate and GABA. αAA added during energy deprivation reduced the glutamate release in a dose-dependent manner (56% reduction at 5 m M), whereas GABA release was unchanged. We speculate that ischemic glutamate release from the brain is mediated by a low affinity transport mechanism that is blocked by αAA.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumito Kadoya ◽  
Akira Mitani ◽  
Tatsuru Arai ◽  
Kiyoshi Kataoka

The xanthine derivative propentofylline (HWA 285) has been reported to show protective effects against neuronal damage induced by cerebral ischemia. In the present study, microfluorometry was used to investigate the effect of propentofylline on the hypoxia–hypoglycemia-induced intracellular calcium accumulation in gerbil hippocampal slices. When slices were superfused with hypoxic–hypoglycemic medium that did not contain propentofylline, an acute increase in calcium accumulation was detected 75–200 s (mean latency of 123 s) after the beginning of hypoxia–hypoglycemia. When slices were superfused with hypoxic–hypoglycemic mediums that contained 10 μ M, 100 μ M, and 1 m M propentofylline, the latency of the acute increase in calcium accumulation was prolonged in all subregions of the hippocampus in a dose-dependent manner: mean latencies in field CA1 were 146, 168, and 197 s after hypoxia–hypoglycemia, respectively. This retardation in calcium accumulation may be involved in the mechanisms by which propentofylline diminishes ischemic injury.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pradip K. Sarkar ◽  
Avijit Biswas ◽  
Arun K. Ray ◽  
Joseph V. Martin

The role of thyroid hormones (TH) in the normal functioning of adult mammalian brain is unclear. Our studies have identified synaptosomal Na+-K+-ATPase as a TH-responsive physiological parameter in adult rat cerebral cortex. L-triiodothyronine (T3) and L-thyroxine (T4) both inhibited Na+-K+-ATPase activity (but not Mg2+-ATPase activity) in similar dose-dependent fashions, while other metabolites of TH were less effective. Although both T3and theβ-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol inhibited Na+-K+-ATPase activity in cerebrocortical synaptosomes in similar ways, theβ-adrenergic receptor blocker propranolol did not counteract the effect of T3. Instead, propranolol further inhibited Na+-K+-ATPase activity in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that the effect of T3on synaptosomal Na+-K+-ATPase activity was independent ofβ-adrenergic receptor activation. The effect of T3on synaptosomal Na+-K+-ATPase activity was inhibited by theα2-adrenergic agonist clonidine and by glutamate. Notably, both clonidine and glutamate activateGi-proteins of the membrane second messenger system, suggesting a potential mechanism for the inhibition of the effects of TH. In this paper, we provide support for a nongenomic mechanism of action of TH in a neuronal membrane-related energy-linked process for signal transduction in the adult condition.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (4) ◽  
pp. H1677-H1687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Qing Zhao ◽  
James C. Todd ◽  
Hiroki Sato ◽  
Xin-Liang Ma ◽  
J. Vinten-Johansen

This study tests the hypothesis that cardioprotection exerted by adenosine A2-receptor activation and neutrophil-related events involves stimulation of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels on neutrophils during reperfusion. The adenosine A2 agonist CGS-21680 (CGS) inhibited superoxide radical generation from isolated rabbit polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in a dose-dependent manner from 17.7 ± 2.1 to 7.4 ± 1.3 nmol/5 × 106 PMNs ( P < 0.05). Pinacidil, a KATP-channel opener, partially inhibited superoxide radical production, which was completely reversed by glibenclamide (Glib). Incremental doses of Glib in combination with CGS (1 μM) did not alter CGS-induced inhibition of superoxide radical generation. CGS significantly reduced PMN adherence to the endothelial surface of aortic segments in a dose-dependent manner from 189 ± 8 to 50 ± 6 PMNs/mm2( P < 0.05), which was also not altered by incremental doses of Glib. Infusion of CGS (0.025 mg/kg) before reperfusion reduced infarct size from 29 ± 2% in the Vehicle group to 15 ± 1% in rabbits undergoing 30 min of ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion ( P< 0.05). Glib (0.3 mg/kg) did not change the infarct size (28 ± 2%) vs. the Vehicle group and did not attenuate infarct size reduction by CGS (16 ± 1%). Glib did not change blood glucose levels. Cardiac myeloperoxidase activity was decreased in the ischemic tissue of the CGS group (0.15 ± 0.03 U/100 mg tissue) compared with the Vehicle group (0.37 ± 0.05 U/100 mg tissue; P < 0.05). We conclude that adenosine A2 activation before reperfusion partially reduces infarct size by inhibiting neutrophil activity and that this effect does not involve KATP-channel stimulation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 3727-3741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykhaylo G. Moldavan ◽  
Robert P. Irwin ◽  
Charles N. Allen

Presynaptic GABAB receptor activation inhibits glutamate release from retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) terminals in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Voltage-clamp whole cell recordings from rat SCN neurons and optical recordings of Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent probes within RHT terminals were used to examine GABAB-receptor modulation of RHT transmission. Baclofen inhibited evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in a concentration-dependent manner equally during the day and night. Blockers of N-, P/Q-, T-, and R-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, but not L-type, reduced the EPSC amplitude by 66, 36, 32, and 18% of control, respectively. Joint application of multiple Ca2+ channel blockers inhibited the EPSCs less than that predicted, consistent with a model in which multiple Ca2+ channels overlap in the regulation of transmitter release. Presynaptic inhibition of EPSCs by baclofen was occluded by ω-conotoxin GVIA (≤72%), mibefradil (≤52%), and ω-agatoxin TK (≤15%), but not by SNX-482 or nimodipine. Baclofen reduced both evoked presynaptic Ca2+ influx and resting Ca2+ concentration in RHT terminals. Tertiapin did not alter the evoked EPSC and baclofen-induced inhibition, indicating that baclofen does not inhibit glutamate release by activation of Kir3 channels. Neither Ba2+ nor high extracellular K+ modified the baclofen-induced inhibition. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) significantly increased the EPSC amplitude and the charge transfer, and dramatically reduced the baclofen effect. These data indicate that baclofen inhibits glutamate release from RHT terminals by blocking N-, T-, and P/Q-type Ca2+ channels, and possibly by activation of 4-AP–sensitive K+ channels, but not by inhibition of R- and L-type Ca2+ channels or by Kir3 channel activation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
pp. 2896-2903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marat V. Avshalumov ◽  
Margaret E. Rice

Endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) can act as modulators of neuronal activity, including synaptic transmission. Inherent in this process, however, is the potential for oxidative damage if the balance between ROS production and regulation becomes disrupted. Here we report that inhibition of synaptic transmission in rat hippocampal slices by H2O2 can be followed by electrical hyperexcitability when transmission returns during H2O2 washout. As in previous studies, H2O2exposure (15 min) reversibly depressed the extracellular population spike (PS) evoked by Schaffer collateral stimulation. Recovery of PS amplitude, however, was typically accompanied by mild epileptiform activity. Inclusion of ascorbate (400 μM) during H2O2 washout prevented this pathophysiology. No protection was seen with isoascorbate, which is a poor substrate for the stereoselective ascorbate transporter and thus remains primarily extracellular. Epileptiform activity was also prevented by the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, dl-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5) during H2O2washout. Once hyperexcitability was induced, however, AP5 did not reverse it. When present during H2O2 exposure, AP5 did not alter PS depression by H2O2but did inhibit the recovery of PS amplitude seen during pulse-train stimulation (10 Hz, 5 s) in H2O2. Inhibition of glutamate uptake by l- trans-2,4-pyrrolidine dicarboxylate (PDC; 50 μM) during H2O2washout markedly enhanced epileptiform activity; coapplication of ascorbate with PDC prevented this. These data indicate that H2O2 exposure can cause activation of normally silent NMDA receptors, possibly via inhibition of redox-sensitive glutamate uptake. When synaptic transmission returns during H2O2 washout, enhanced NMDA receptor activity leads to ROS generation and consequent oxidative damage. These data reveal a pathological cycle that could contribute to progressive degeneration in neurological disorders that involve oxidative stress, including cerebral ischemia.


2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 1060-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhui Li ◽  
James C. Eisenach

Background A1 adenosine receptor activation reduces hypersensitivity in animal models of chronic pain, but intrathecal adenosine does not produce analgesia to acute noxious stimuli. Here, the authors test whether increased inhibition by adenosine of glutamate release from afferents after injury accounts for this difference. Methods Synaptosomes were prepared from the dorsal half of the lumbar spinal cord of normal rats or those with spinal nerve ligation. Glutamate release evoked by the TRPV-1 receptor agonist, capsaicin, was measured. Adenosine with or without adenosine A1 and A2 receptor antagonists was applied to determine the efficacy and mechanism of adenosine to reduce capsaicin-evoked glutamate release. Results Capsaicin produced a concentration-dependent glutamate release similarly in normal and nerve-injured rats. Capsaicin-evoked glutamate release was inhibited by adenosine or R-PIA (R-N6-(2- phenylisopropyl)-adenosine) in a concentration-dependent manner, with a threshold of 10 nm in both normal and nerve-ligated synaptosomes. Blockade of capsaicin-evoked glutamate release by adenosine was reversed similarly in synaptosomes from normal and spinal nerve-ligated animals by an A1 adenosine receptor antagonist DPCPX (8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine) but not by an A2 adenosine receptor antagonist DMPX (3'7-dimethyl-1-proparaglyxanthine). Capsaicin-evoked glutamate release, as well as its inhibition by adenosine, did not differ between synaptosomes prepared from tissue ipsilateral and contralateral to spinal nerve ligation. Conclusion These observations confirm previous neurophysiologic studies that presynaptic adenosine A1 receptor activation inhibits glutamate release from primary afferents. This effect is unaltered after peripheral nerve injury and thereby is unlikely to account for the enhanced analgesic efficacy of intrathecal adenosine in this setting.


2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 468-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Gerdeman ◽  
David M. Lovinger

CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the neostriatum mediate profound motor deficits induced when cannabinoid drugs are administered to rodents. Because the CB1 receptor has been shown to inhibit neurotransmitter release in various brain areas, we investigated the effects of CB1 activation on glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the dorsolateral striatum of the rat where the CB1 receptor is highly expressed. We performed whole cell voltage-clamp experiments in striatal brain slices and applied the CB1 agonists HU-210 or WIN 55,212–2 during measurement of synaptic transmission. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), evoked by electrical stimulation of afferent fibers, were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner by CB1 agonist application. EPSC inhibition was accompanied by an increase in two separate indices of presynaptic release, the paired-pulse response ratio and the coefficient of variation, suggesting a decrease in neurotransmitter release. These effects were prevented by application of the CB1 antagonist SR141716A. When Sr2+ was substituted for Ca2+ in the extracellular solution, application of HU-210 (1 μM) significantly reduced the frequency, but not amplitude, of evoked, asynchronous quantal release events. Spontaneous release events were similarly decreased in frequency with no change in amplitude. These findings further support the interpretation that CB1 activation leads to a decrease of glutamate release from afferent terminals in the striatum. These results reveal a novel potential role for cannabinoids in regulating striatal function and thus basal ganglia output and may suggest CB1-targeted drugs as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other basal ganglia disorders.


1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 1887-1895 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Hsu

1. The effect of dopamine (DA) on the excitatory synaptic transmission was studied in the CA1 neurons of rat hippocampal slices using intracellular recording technique. 2. Depolarizing excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were evoked by stimulation of the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway. Superfusion of DA (0.03-1 microM) reversibly decreased the EPSP in a concentration-dependent manner and with an estimated IC50 of 0.3 microM. The sensitivity of postsynaptic neurons to the glutamate-receptor agonists, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid or N-methyl-D-aspartate was unchanged by DA (0.3 microM) pretreatment. In addition, DA (0.3 microM) increased the magnitude of paired-pulse facilitation, a phenomenon attributed to an increase in the amount of transmitter released in response to the second stimulus. 3. The reduction of DA (0.3 microM) on the EPSP was antagonized by sulpiride (1-10 nM), a selective D2-receptor antagonist. However, D1-receptor antagonist, SKF-83566 (1-10 microM), did not significantly affect the reduction of DA (0.3 microM) on the EPSP. 4. (+/-)-2-(N-Phenylethyl-N-propyl)amino-5-hydroxytetralin (1 microM), an agonist of D2 receptor, mimicked the inhibitory effect of DA on the EPSP. However, neither the D1-receptor agonist SKF-38393 (1 microM) nor the D3-receptor agonist (PD-128,907 (1 microM) affected the EPSP. 5. Incubation of hippocampal slices with pertussis toxin (PTX, 5 micrograms/ml) for 12 h prevented the reduction of EPSP induced by DA (0.3 microM). 6. Rp-adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate (25 microM), a potent inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA), alone decreased the amplitude of EPSP below baseline values and prevented the subsequent reduction by DA (0.3 microM). 7. These results indicate that DA at a low concentration (< or = 0.3 microM) reduces the excitatory response of hippocampal CA1 neurons after synaptic stimulation via the activation of presynaptic D2 receptors. The presynaptic action of DA is mediated by a PTX-sensitive Gi-proteins-coupled to PKA pathway.


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