1 Excised outside-out patches from HEK293 cells stably transfected with the human (h) 5-HT 3A receptor cDNA were used to determine the eects of cannabinoid receptor ligands on the 5-HTinduced current using the patch clamp technique. In addition, binding studies with radioligands for 5-HT 3 as well as for cannabinoid CB 1 and CB 2 receptors were carried out.

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The influence of local and general anaesthetics on cation influx through the fast, voltage-dependent sodium channel and the 5-HT3 receptor cation channel was studied in N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells by measuring 2-min influx of the organic cation 14C-guanidinium induced by either veratridine (1 mmol/l) or 5-HT (100 mumol/l). The veratridine-induced influx of 14C-guanidinium was potentiated by scorpion toxin and inhibited by tetrodotoxin. The 5-HT-induced 14C-guanidinium influx was not affected by tetrodotoxin but it was inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonists ondansetron and ICS 205-930; at high micromolar concentrations these compounds also inhibited the veratridine-induced influx of 14C-guanidinium. The 14C-guanidinium influx through both channels was inhibited by local and general anaesthetics. The rank order of potency for inhibition of veratridine-induced influx by local anaesthetics was tetracaine > bupivacaine > cocaine > lidocaine > procaine and that for inhibition of the 5-HT3 receptor channel was tetracaine > bupivacaine > cocaine > procaine > lidocaine. With the exception of procaine and cocaine, which were equipotent at both channels, the local anaesthetics were 4.4-fold (lidocaine) to 25-fold (tetracaine) more potent at the fast sodium channel than at the 5-HT3 receptor channel. The rank order of potency for general anaesthetics was propofol > etomidate = alfaxalone = ketamine > thiopental = methohexital at the fast sodium channel, and propofol > or = etomidate > alfaxalone = methohexital > thiopental > ketamine at the 5-HT3 receptor channel.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We used patch clamp techniques to study the inhibitory effects of pentobarbital and barbital on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels from BC3H-1 cells. Single channel recording from outside-out patches reveals that both drugs cause acetylcholine-activated channel events to occur in bursts. The mean duration of gaps within bursts is 2 ms for 0.1 mM pentobarbital and 0.05 ms for 1 mM barbital. In addition, 1 mM barbital reduces the apparent single channel current by 15%. Both barbiturates decrease the duration of openings within a burst but have only a small effect on the burst duration. Macroscopic currents were activated by rapid perfusion of 300 μM acetylcholine to outside-out patches. The concentration dependence of peak current inhibition was fit with a Hill function; for pentobarbital, K i = 32 μM, n = 1.09; for barbital, K i = 1900 μM, n = 1.24. Inhibition is voltage independent. The kinetics of inhibition by pentobarbital are at least 30 times faster than inhibition by barbital (3 ms vs. <0.1 ms at the K i). Pentobarbital binds ≥10-fold more tightly to open channels than to closed channels; we could not determine whether the binding of barbital is state dependent. Experiments performed with both barbiturates reveal that they do not compete for a single binding site on the acetylcholine receptor channel protein, but the binding of one barbiturate destabilizes the binding of the other. These results support a kinetic model in which barbiturates bind to both open and closed states of the AChR and block the flow of ions through the channel. An additional, lower-affinity binding site for pentobarbital may explain the effects seen at >100 μM pentobarbital.

Serotonin (5-HT) exerts fast excitatory responses by activation of 5-HT3 receptors, irrespective of whether they are homomerically composed of 5-HT3A subunits or heteromerically assembled of 5-HT3A and 5-HT3B subunits. Here we describe a short, truncated (h5-HT3AT) and a long (h5-HT3AL) splice variant of the human 5-HT3A (hS-HT3A) receptor subunit. The deduced protein of the short isoform consists of 238 amino acids (aa) with a single transmembrane domain (M1). Compared to the known 5-HT3A receptor, the long isoform contains 32 additional aa in the extracellular loop between M2 and M3. Both splice variants are co-expressed together with the 5-HT3A subunit in the amygdala and hippocampus, whereas in the placenta only the short variant is co-expressed. Both splice variants, when expressed in transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells, are not able to form functional homomeric receptors, but modify 5-HT response at heteromeric h5-HT3A receptors. Co-expression of the short variant considerably decelerates the desensitization of the 5-HT3 receptor; thus, heteromeric assemblies of h5-HT3A and the h5-HT3AT subunit exhibit 5-HT-induced cation fluxes which are much larger than those of homomeric hS-HT3A receptors. In contrast, heteromeric complexes containing the h5-HT3AL subunit display reduced cation fluxes. In conclusion, the splice variants increase the functional diversity of 5-HT3 receptors.

The serotonin (5-hydroxtryptamine, 5-HT) system plays a role in analgesia and emesis. The aim of this study was to test whether opioids or ketamine inhibit the human 5-HT transporter and whether this increases free plasma 5-HT concentrations. HEK293 cells, stably transfected with the human 5-HT transporter cDNA, were incubated with morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl, alfentanil, pethidine (meperidine), tramadol, ketamine, and the reference substance citalopram (specific 5-HT transporter inhibitor). The uptake of [(3)H]5-HT was measured by liquid scintillation counting. In a second series of experiments, study drugs were incubated with plasma of ten healthy blood donors and change of 5-HT plasma-concentrations were measured (ELISA). The end point was the inhibition of the 5-HT transporter by different analgesics either in HEK293 cells or in human platelets ex vivo. Tramadol, pethidine, and ketamine suppressed [(3)H]5-HT uptake dose-dependently with an IC50 of 1, 20.9, and 230 μM, respectively. These drugs also prevented 5-HT uptake in platelets with an increase in free plasma 5-HT. Free 5-HT concentrations in human plasma were increased by citalopram 1 μM, tramadol 20 μM, pethidine 30 μM, and ketamine 100 μM to 280 [248/312]%, 269 [188/349]%, and 149 [122/174]%, respectively, compared to controls without any co-incubation (means [95 % CI]; all p < 0.005). No change in both experimental settings was observed for the other opioids. Tramadol and pethidine inhibited the 5-HT transporter in HEK293 cells and platelets. This inhibition may contribute to serotonergic effects when these opioids are given in combination, e.g., with monoamine oxidase inhibitors or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

1. The 5-HT3 receptor-mediated cation influx into N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells has been studied by the use of the organic cation [14C]-guanidinium. 2. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, 30 microM) caused a time-dependent influx of [14C]-guanidinium which, in contrast to the influx elicited by veratridine (100 microM), was not inhibited by tetrodotoxin (TTX, 10 microM). The 5-HT-induced influx was potentiated by substance P and inhibited by ondansetron. 3. 5-HT and the selective 5-HT3 receptor agonists, m-chloro-phenylbiguanide, phenylbiguanide and 2-methyl-5-HT caused bell-shaped concentration-response curves; the rank order of potency was m-chloro-phenylbiguanide > 5-HT > phenylbiguanide = 2-methyl-5-HT. Among these agonists, 5-HT elicited the highest influx of [14C]-guanidinium. 5-Methoxytryptamine, an agonist at 5-HT4 receptors, showed no effect. 4. The [14C]-guanidinium influx induced by 100 microM 5-HT was not affected by methysergide (10 microM) and ketanserin (10 microM) but was inhibited by 5-HT3 receptor antagonists with the following rank order of potency: ICS 205-930 > ondansetron > MDL 72222 >> metoclopramide. 5. The 5-HT-induced [14C]-guanidinium influx was increased in the absence of Ca2+ and/or Na+ and by a reduction of the temperature from 36 degrees to 20 degrees C. 6. Preincubation with 5-HT (100 microM) caused a time-dependent and rapidly reversible decrease of the 5-HT-induced [14C]-guanidinium influx. 7. It is concluded that [14C]-guanidinium influx measurement in N1E-115 cells is a convenient method to study properties of the cation channel of the 5-HT3 receptor. This influx is independent of the fast sodium channel.

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