In the present study, we examined whether cholinergic agonists would elicit an itch-associated response in mice. When mice were given an intradermal injection of carbachol (1-10 nmol) or bethanechol (0.3-100 nmol) into the rostral back, they showed the dose-dependent increase of scratching. Nicotine (1-10 nmol) showed no effect. Pretreatment with naloxone, but not with terfenadine, significantl...

The analgesic effects of a series of muscarinic agonists were investigated by use of the mouse acetic acid writhing, grid-shock, hot-plate and tail-flick tests. The compounds tested were oxotremorine, pilocarpine, arecoline, aceclidine, RS86 and four 3-3(substituted-1,2,5-thiadiazol-4-yl)-1,2,5,6-tetrahy-dro-1 -methyl pyridines (substituted TZTP), these being propoxy-TZTP, 3-Cl-propylthio-TZTP,...

The intrinsic cardiac plexus represents a major peripheral integration site for neuronal, hormonal, and locally produced neuromodulators controlling efferent neuronal output to the heart. This study examined the interdependence of norepinephrine, muscarinic agonists, and ANG II, to modulate intrinsic cardiac neuronal activity. Intracellular voltage recordings from whole-mount preparations of th...

The correlation between number of muscarinic cholinergic receptor sites as measured by binding of the muscarinic antagonist [3H]methylscopolamine ([3H]MS) and the ability of muscarinic agonists to mediate a physiologic response was determined in intact heart cells cultured from chick embryos 10 d in ovo. The increase in K+ permeability and the decrease in beating rate mediated by the muscarinic...

Cholinergic, muscarinic receptor agonists exhibit functional dopamine antagonism and muscarinic receptors have been suggested as possible future targets for the treatment of schizophrenia and drug abuse. The muscarinic ligand (5R,6R)-6-(3-butylthio-1,2,5-thiadiazol-4-yl)-1-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane (BuTAC) exhibits high affinity for muscarinic receptors with no or substantially less affinity for ...

Converging TGF-beta and insulin-like neuroendocrine signaling pathways regulate whether Caenorhabditis elegans develops reproductively or arrests at the dauer larval stage. We examined whether neurotransmitters act in the dauer entry or recovery pathways. Muscarinic agonists promote recovery from dauer arrest induced by pheromone as well as by mutations in the TGF-beta pathway. Dauer recovery i...

The lateral parafascicular nucleus (lPf) is a member of the intralaminar thalamic nuclei, a collection of nuclei that characteristically provides widespread projections to the neocortex and basal ganglia and is associated with arousal, sensory, and motor functions. Recently, lPf neurons have been shown to possess different characteristics than other cortical-projecting thalamic relay neurons. W...

We and others have shown that epithelial Na(+) channels (ENaC) in alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells are activated by β2 agonists, steroid hormones, elevated oxygen tension, and by dopamine. Although acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) have been previously described in the lung, there are few reports of whether cholinergic agonists alter sodium transport in the alveolar epithelium. Therefore, we investiga...