Potency of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants on muscle-type acetylcholine receptors in denervated mouse skeletal muscle

Aim:

To investigate the changing resistance to nondepolarizing muscle relaxants (NDMRs) during the first month after denervation.

Methods:

The denervated and innervated skeletal muscle cells were examined on days 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after denervation. Individual denervated and innervated cells were prepared from the flexor digitorum brevis of the surgically denervated and contralateral hind feet, respectively. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the cells were activated with 30 μmol/L acetylcholine, either alone or in combination with various concentrations of vecuronium. Currents were recorded using a whole-cell patch-clamp technique.

Results:

The concentrations of vecuronium resulting in half-maximal inhibitory responses (IC₅₀) increased 1.2- (P>0.05), 1.7-, 3.7-, 2.5-, 1.9-, and 1.8-fold (P<0.05) at Days 1, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after denervation, respectively, compared to the innervated control. Resistance to vecuronium appeared at Day 4, peaked at Day 7, and declined at Day 14 after denervation. Nevertheless, IC₅₀ values at Day 28 remained significantly higher than those for the innervated control, suggesting that the resistance to vecuronium had not disappeared at Day 28.

Conclusion:

The NDMR doses required to achieve satisfactory clinical effects differ at different times after muscle denervation.     

肌肉型乙酰胆碱受体在HEK293细胞上的表达

目的　利用受体克隆技术 ,建立骨骼肌细胞乙酰胆碱受体 (m nAChR)的实验模型 ,以便进行各种药理研究。方法　应用分子生物学技术将编码小鼠m nAChR的α、β、γ、δ、ε亚基之cDNA分别重组于真核细胞表达质粒pcDNA3 1+ 上 ,用脂质体转染技术 ,将重组后的pcDNA3 1+ 导入HEK2 93细胞 ,使其细胞膜上表达胚胎型乙酰胆碱受体 (γ nAChR)和成年型乙酰胆碱受体 (ε nAChR) ,这样建立了两种m nAChR亚型的实验模型。应用全细胞膜片钳技术测量转染细胞对该受体的内生配基乙酰胆碱的反应。结果　乙酰胆碱可激发转染细胞产生一内向电流 ,电流的大小与乙酰胆碱呈浓度依赖性。结论　HEK2 93细胞在转染后 2 4～ 72h内 ,其细胞膜上表达γ nAChR或ε nAChR ,用于进行各种药理实验。     

Acetylcholine sensitivity of biphasic Ca2+ mobilization induced by nicotinic receptor activation at the mouse skeletal muscle endplate

1. Acetylcholine (ACh) was locally applied onto the endplate region in a mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm muscle preparation to measure intracellular free calcium ([Ca²⁺]_i) entry through nicotinic ACh receptors (AChRs) by use of Ca²⁺-aequorin luminescence.
2. ACh (0.1–3 mM, 20 μl) elicited biphasic elevation of [Ca²⁺]_i (fast and slow Ca²⁺ mobilization) in muscle cells. The peak amplitude of the slow Ca²⁺ mobilization (not accompanied by twitch tension) was concentration-dependently increased by ACh, whereas that of the fast component (accompanied by twitch tension) reached a maximum response at a lower concentration (0.1 mM) of applied ACh.
3. A pulse of nicotinic agonists, (−)-nicotine (10 mM) and 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenyl-piperazinium (10 mM), but not a muscarinic agonist pilocarpine (10 mM), also elicited a biphasic Ca²⁺ signal.
4. Even though ACh release from motor nerve endings was blocked by botulinum toxin (5 μg, bolus i.p. before isolation of the tissue), the generation of both a fast and slow Ca²⁺ component caused by ACh application was observed.
5. These results strongly suggest that ACh locally applied onto the endplate region of skeletal muscle induces a slow Ca²⁺ signal reflecting Ca²⁺ entry through a postsynaptic nicotinic AChR, which has a low sensitivity to transmitter ACh.

     

Chronic pre-treatment with nicotine enhances nicotine-evoked striatal dopamine release and alpha6 and beta3 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit mRNA in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the rat

Whilst local intrastriatal infusion of nicotine consistently elicits striatal dopamine release, systemic administration often fails to do so. Since chronic nicotine administration is known to result in desensitisation-induced upregulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the present study investigated whether chronic pre-treatment could enhance the response to systemic nicotine and, if so, whether increases in specific nAChR subunit mRNA levels in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) may underlie this effect. In vivo microdialysis studies in male Sprague-Dawley rats revealed that following 4 days pre-treatment with nicotine (0.8 mg kg(-1)s.c.), local intrastriatal nicotine infusion (3 mM) elicited significantly higher dopamine efflux compared to vehicle pre-treated controls (peak release: 1273 +/- 199% basal versus 731 +/- 113% basal), whereas systemic nicotine challenge (0.8 mg kg(-1)s.c.) elicited no response. In contrast, following 8 days pre-treatment with nicotine (0.8 mg kg(-1)s.c.), systemic nicotine challenge (0.8 mg kg(-1)s.c.) now produced significantly higher dopamine efflux than that of vehicle pre-treated controls (147 +/- 30% basal versus 91 +/- 5% basal). Eight days pre-treatment with nicotine also significantly elevated the levels of alpha6 (approximately 55%) and beta3 (approximately 43%) nAChR subunit mRNA in the SNc, suggesting that up-regulation of these nAChR subunit genes in the nigrostriatal tract may contribute to the enhanced nicotine-evoked striatal dopamine release.