Water homeostasis is a critical challenge to survival for land mammals. Mice display increased locomotor activity when dehydrated, a behavior that improves the likelihood of locating new sources of water and simultaneously places additional demands on compromised hydration levels. The neurophysiology underlying this well known behavior has not been previously elucidated. We report that the anti-diuretic hormone arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is involved in this response. AVP and oxytocin directly induced depolarization and an inward current in orexin/hypocretin neurons. AVP-induced activation of orexin neurons was inhibited by a V1a receptor (V1aR)-selective antagonist and was not observed in V1aR knock-out mice, suggesting an involvement of V1aR. Subsequently activation of phospholipase C triggers an increase in intracellular calcium by both calcium influx through nonselective cation channels and calcium release from calcium stores in orexin neurons. Intracerebroventricular injection of AVP or water deprivation increased locomotor activity in wild-type mice, but not in transgenic mice lacking orexin neurons. V1aR knock-out mice were less active than wild-type mice. These results suggest that the activation of orexin neurons by AVP or oxytocin has an important role in the regulation of spontaneous locomotor activity in mice. This system appears to play a key role in water deprivation-induced hyperlocomotor activity, a response to dehydration that increases the chance of locating water in nature.
Spermidine and spermine, are endogenous polyamines (PAs) that regulate cell growth and modulate the activity of numerous ion channel proteins. In particular, intracellular PAs are potent blockers of many different cation channels and are responsible for strong suppression of outward K + current, a phenomenon known as inward rectification characteristic of a major class of K IR K + channels. We previously described block of heterologously expressed voltage-gated Na + channels (Na V ) of rat muscle by intracellular PAs and PAs have recently been found to modulate excitability of brain neocortical neurons by blocking neuronal Na V channels. In this study, we compared the sensitivity of four different cloned mammalian Na V isoforms to PAs to investigate whether PA block is a common feature of Na V channel pharmacology. We find that outward Na + current of muscle (Na V 1.4), heart (Na V 1.5), and neuronal (Na V 1.2, Na V 1.7) Na V isoforms is blocked by PAs, suggesting that PA metabolism may be linked to modulation of action potential firing in numerous excitable tissues. Interestingly, the cardiac Na V 1.5 channel is more sensitive to PA block than other isoforms. Our results also indicate that rapid binding of PAs to blocking sites in the Na V 1.4 channel is restricted to access from the cytoplasmic side of the channel, but plasma membrane transport pathways for PA uptake may contribute to long-term Na V channel modulation. PAs may also play a role in drug interactions since spermine attenuates the use-dependent effect of the lidocaine, a typical local anesthetic and anti-arrhythmic drug.
The effects of benzyltetrahydropalmatine (BTHP), a new class III antiarrhythmic agent, on the action potential in guinea pig papillary muscle and the rapidly activating component (I(Kr)) and the slowly activating component (I(Ks)) of the delayed rectifier potassium current (I(K)) in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes were investigated. The action potentials of papillary muscles were studied using a standard microelectrode technique, while the K(+) currents were recorded using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. The results showed that BTHP prolonged the action potential duration (APD) without altering other variables of the action potential in guinea pig papillary muscles. The 2 components of I(K) were blocked by BTHP (1 approximately 100 micromol x L(-1)) in time-, concentration-, voltage-, and specifically frequency-dependent fashion. The IC(50) value for blockade of I(Kr) was 13.5 micromol x L(-1), while the IC(50) value for blockade of I(Ks) was 9.3 micromol x L(-1). BTHP 30.0 micromol x L(-1) reduced I(Kr) and I(Kr,tail) by 31 +/- 4.3% and 36 +/- 4.7% (n = 6, p < 0.01) and decreased I(Ks) and I(Ks,tail) by 40 +/- 6.3% and 39 +/- 4.6% (n = 7, p < 0.01) respectively. BTHP accelerated their deactivation course by reducing the time constants of deactivation of I(Kr) and I(Ks). The activation kinetics of I(Kr) or I(Ks) were not affected by BTHP. It is concluded that BTHP prolonged the action potential duration with respect to its non-selective action on I(Kr) and I(Ks) in single guinea pig ventricular cell in a frequency-dependent fashion.
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