Quantitative aspects of inward and outward transport of substrates by the human plasmalemmal serotonin transporter (hSERT) were investigated. Uptake and superfusion experiments were performed on human embryonic kidney 293 cells permanently expressing the hSERT using [(3)H]serotonin (5-HT) and [(3)H]1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)) as substrates. Saturation analyses rendered K(m) values of 0...

Acute superfusion of nerve growth factor (NGF; 1-100 ng/ml) through a naive rat spinal cord preparation did not alter basal or electrically evoked release of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI). In contrast, neurotrophin-3 (NT-3; 1-100 ng/ml), although not modifying SP-LI basal outflow, dose-dependently inhibited the electrically evoked, but not capsaicin (10 nM)-induced, release of the p...

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic potentials is a fundamental mechanism of memory formation in the hippocampus. Here, we have characterized long-term changes of field potentials which were evoked in the lumbar spinal dorsal horn by supramaximal electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve in urethane anesthetized rats. The field potentials had high thresholds (> or = 7 V), long latencies ...

BACKGROUND Pretreatment with the volatile anesthetic sevoflurane protects cardiomyocytes against subsequent ischemic episodes caused by a protein kinase C (PKC)-delta mediated preconditioning effect. Sevoflurane directly modulates cardiac Ca2+ handling, and because Ca2+ also serves as a mediator in other cardioprotective signaling pathways, possible involvement of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) i...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Recent studies indicate that leukocytes are important contributors to secondary vascular and parenchymal injury after cerebral ischemia. The present study was undertaken to define nitric oxide (NO)-based mechanisms that regulate leukocyte-endothelial interactions in the cerebral vasculature, how these mechanisms are affected by cerebral ischemia, and whether NO-based ther...

The effect of angiotensin II (ANG II) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) on prostacyclin production by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) has been examined. Cultured rat aortic VSMC were studied during either static incubation in multiwell plates or during dynamic incubation in superfusion columns. Prostacyclin synthesis was assessed by radioimmunoassaying one of its stable metabolites, 6-keto-pro...

The hypothesis of Cl-/HCO s exchange across the apical membrane of the epithelial cells of Necturus gallbladder was tested by means of measurements of extracellular pH (pH.), intracellular pH (pHi), andClactivity (aCli) with ion-sensitive microelectrodes. Luminal pH changes were measured after stopping mucosal superfusion with a solution of low buffering power. Under control conditions, the lum...

The hypothesis of Cl-/HCO3- exchange across the apical membrane of the epithelial cells of Necturus gallbladder was tested by means of measurements of extracellular pH (pHo), intracellular pH (pHi), and Cl- activity (alpha Cli) with ion-sensitive microelectrodes. Luminal pH changes were measured after stopping mucosal superfusion with a solution of low buffering power. Under control conditions,...

Afterhyperpolarizations and outward tail currents of rat dorsal raphe neurons were measured by intracellular recording and single-electrode voltage clamping in the brain slice preparation. The alpha 1-agonist phenylephrine, and (in the presence of propranolol) norepinephrine, elicited an increase in the duration, but not of the initial amplitude, of afterhyperpolarizations and associated outwar...

Hypoxia is a common factor of numerous ocular diseases that lead to dysfunctions and loss retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) with subsequent vision loss. High-voltage-activated calcium channels are the main source entry into neurons. Their activity plays central role in different signaling processes health diseases, such as enzyme activation, gene transcription, synaptic transmission, or onset cell ...