Adenosine is a neuroprotective agent that inhibits neuronal activity and modulates neurotransmission. Previous research has shown adenosine gradually accumulates during pathologies such as stroke and regulates neurotransmission on the minute-to-hour time scale. Our lab developed a method using carbon-fiber microelectrodes to directly measure adenosine changes on a sub-second time scale with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV). Recently, adenosine release lasting a couple of seconds has been found in murine spinal cord slices. In this study, we characterized spontaneous, transient adenosine release in vivo, in the caudate-putamen and prefrontal cortex of anesthetized rats. The average concentration of adenosine release was 0.17±0.01 µM in the caudate and 0.19±0.01 µM in the prefrontal cortex, although the range was large, from 0.04 to 3.2 µM. The average duration of spontaneous adenosine release was 2.9±0.1 seconds and 2.8±0.1 seconds in the caudate and prefrontal cortex, respectively. The concentration and number of transients detected do not change over a four hour period, suggesting spontaneous events are not caused by electrode implantation. The frequency of adenosine transients was higher in the prefrontal cortex than the caudate-putamen and was modulated by A1 receptors. The A1 antagonist DPCPX (8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, 6 mg/kg i.p.) increased the frequency of spontaneous adenosine release, while the A1 agonist CPA (N6-cyclopentyladenosine, 1 mg/kg i.p.) decreased the frequency. These findings are a paradigm shift for understanding the time course of adenosine signaling, demonstrating that there is a rapid mode of adenosine signaling that could cause transient, local neuromodulation.
A large body of data suggests that the pontine respiratory group (PRG) is involved in respiratory phase-switching and the reconfiguration of the brain stem respiratory network. However, connectivity between the PRG and ventral respiratory column (VRC) in computational models has been largely ad hoc. We developed a network model with PRG-VRC connectivity inferred from coordinated in vivo experiments. Neurons were modeled in the "integrate-and-fire" style; some neurons had pacemaker properties derived from the model of Breen et al. We recapitulated earlier modeling results, including reproduction of activity profiles of different respiratory neurons and motor outputs, and their changes under different conditions (vagotomy, pontine lesions, etc.). The model also reproduced characteristic changes in neuronal and motor patterns observed in vivo during fictive cough and during hypoxia in non-rapid eye movement sleep. Our simulations suggested possible mechanisms for respiratory pattern reorganization during these behaviors. The model predicted that network- and pacemaker-generated rhythms could be co-expressed during the transition from gasping to eupnea, producing a combined "burst-ramp" pattern of phrenic discharges. To test this prediction, phrenic activity and multiple single neuron spike trains were monitored in vagotomized, decerebrate, immobilized, thoracotomized, and artificially ventilated cats during hypoxia and recovery. In most experiments, phrenic discharge patterns during recovery from hypoxia were similar to those predicted by the model. We conclude that under certain conditions, e.g., during recovery from severe brain hypoxia, components of a distributed network activity present during eupnea can be co-expressed with gasp patterns generated by a distinct, functionally "simplified" mechanism.
Adenosine is a neuromodulator that regulates neurotransmission. Adenosine can be monitored using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry at carbon-fiber microelectrodes and ATP is a possible interferent in vivo because the electroactive moiety, adenine, is the same for both molecules. In this study, we investigated carbon-fiber microelectrodes coated with Nafion and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to enhance the sensitivity of adenosine and decrease interference by ATP. Electrodes coated in 0.05 mg/mL CNTs in Nafion had a 4.2 ± 0.2 fold increase in current for adenosine, twice as large as for Nafion alone. Nafion-CNT electrodes were 6 times more sensitive to adenosine than ATP. The Nafion-CNT coating did not slow the temporal response of the electrode. Comparing different purine bases shows that the presence of an amine group enhances sensitivity and that purines with carbonyl groups, such as guanine and hypoxanthine, do not have as great an enhancement after Nafion-CNT coating. The ribose group provides additional sensitivity enhancement for adenosine over adenine. The Nafion-CNT modified electrodes exhibited significantly more current for adenosine than ATP in brain slices. Therefore, Nafion-CNT modified electrodes are useful for sensitive, selective detection of adenosine in biological samples.
Carbon nanotube (CNT)-based microelectrodes have been investigated as alternatives to carbon-fiber microelectrodes for the detection of neurotransmitters because they are sensitive, exhibit fast electron transfer kinetics, and are more resistant to surface fouling. Wet spinning CNTs into fibers using a coagulating polymer produces a thin, uniform fiber that can be fabricated into an electrode. CNT fibers formed in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) have been used as microelectrodes to detect dopamine, serotonin, and hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we characterize microelectrodes with CNT fibers made in polyethylenimine (PEI), which have much higher conductivity than PVA-CNT fibers. PEI-CNT fibers have lower overpotentials and higher sensitivities than PVA-CNT fiber microelectrodes, with a limit of detection of 5 nM for dopamine. The currents for dopamine were adsorption controlled at PEI-CNT fiber microelectrodes, independent of scan repetition frequency, and stable for over 10 h. PEI-CNT fiber microelectrodes were resistant to surface fouling by serotonin and the metabolite interferant 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). No change in sensitivity was observed for detection of serotonin after 30 flow injection experiments or after 2 h in 5-HIAA for PEI-CNT electrodes. The antifouling properties were maintained in brain slices when serotonin was exogenously applied multiple times or after bathing the slice in 5-HIAA. Thus, PEI-CNT fiber electrodes could be useful for the in vivo monitoring of neurochemicals.
The lymph node is a structurally complex organ of the immune system, whose dynamic cellular arrangements are thought to control much of human health. Currently, no methods exist to precisely stimulate substructures within the lymph node or analyze local stimulus-response behaviors, making it difficult to rationally design therapies for inflammatory disease. Here we describe a novel integration of live lymph node slices with a microfluidic system for local stimulation. Slices maintained the cellular organization of the lymph node while making its core experimentally accessible. The 3-layer polydimethylsiloxane device consisted of a perfusion chamber stacked atop stimulation ports fed by underlying microfluidic channels. Fluorescent dextrans similar in size to common proteins, 40 and 70 kDa, were delivered to live lymph node slices with 284 ± 9 μm and 202 ± 15 μm spatial resolution, respectively, after 5 s, which is sufficient to target functional zones of the lymph node. The spread and quantity of stimulation were controlled by varying the flow rates of delivery; these were predictable using a computational model of isotropic diffusion and convection through the tissue. Delivery to two separate regions simultaneously was demonstrated, to mimic complex intercellular signaling. Delivery of a model therapeutic, glucose-conjugated albumin, to specific regions of the lymph node indicated that retention of the drug was greater in the B-cell zone than in the T-cell zone. Together, this work provides a novel platform, the lymph node slice-on-a-chip, to target and study local events in the lymph node and to inform the development of new immunotherapeutics.
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