background: gap junctions (gjs) provide direct intercellular communications that are formed by hexameric protein subunits, called connexin (cx). the role of cxs in epileptogenesis has not received sufficient attention. hippocampus with critical function in epileptogenesis has a wide network of gjs. we examined the protein expression levels of hippocampal cx36 (the prominent cx present between g...

Rats intravenously injected with pilocarpine at a concentration of 4 mg per 100 g body weight were killed after various time intervals and the relative numbers of ribosomes per cell active in protein synthesis were determined. It was found that until 1 h after pilocarpine injection there is a significant decrease in the number of ribosomes engaged in protein synthesis, whereas 2--3 h after pilo...

Pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) produces many alterations in central nervous system neurotransmission. Previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that intraperitoneal administration of pilocarpine 400 mg/kg significantly decreases not only muscarinic M1, M2 and Gabaergic receptors densities, but also decrease acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and increases superoxide dismutase and...

Topical atenolol (a beta1-adrenoceptive antagonist), pilocarpine, and placebo were tested in a randomised double-blind crossover trial of 8 patients with ocular hypertenion. Atenolol (2% 3 times a day) caused a fall in intraocular pressure (IOP) comparable to that achieved by topical application of pilocarpine (2% 3 times a day). The decrease in IOP by each compound was demonstrable on the seco...

The anticonvulsant activity of BmK AS, a sodium channel site 4-selective modulator purified from scorpion venom (Buthus martensi Karsch), was investigated in unanesthetized rats with acute pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)- and pilocarpine-induced seizures. Rats were microinjected in the CA1 region with either saline or BmK AS, followed by epileptogenic doses of PTZ or pilocarpine 30 minutes later. The ...

BACKGROUND This prospective randomized study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of oral pilocarpine chloratum (Salagen) during and after radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between October 1999 and December 2003, 66 patients received 60 Gy of irradiation to their head and neck cancer. Half of the patients received 5 mg oral pilocarpine 3 times a day from the beginning of radiotherapy o...

Previous reports suggested that there is no significant difference in the binding affinity of pilocarpine and cevimeline on muscarinic receptors (1). However, in vivo studies from our laboratory suggested that pilocarpine-induced salivation from the parotid gland is greater than that induced by cevimeline in rats. Therefore, in the present study, sialogogue-induced intracellular Ca(2+) mobiliza...

The effects of kappa opioids on seizures and seizure-induced histopathology were investigated with the pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Rats treated with the kappa opioid receptor agonist U50488h before pilocarpine showed: 1) increased seizure latency; 2) decreased seizure duration; 3) decreased mossy fiber sprouting; and 4) increased hilar neuron survival when compared with rats pr...