Unique interactions between scorpion toxins and small conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels / 生理学报

Small conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels (SK channels) distributing in the nervous system play an important role in learning, memory and synaptic plasticity. Most pharmacological properties of them are determined by short-chain scorpion toxins. Different from most voltage-gated potassium channels and large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels, SK channels are only inhibited by a small quantity of scorpion toxins. Recently, a novel peptide screener in the extracellular pore entryway of SK channels was considered as the structural basis of toxin selective recognition. In this review, we summarized the unique interactions between scorpion toxins and SK channels, which is crucial not only in deep-researching for physiological function of SK channels, but also in developing drugs for SK channel-related diseases.

The expression of NGF after rat diffuse axonal injury / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) in diffuse axonal injury (DAI) in rat.@*METHODS@#Eighty SD rats were used and samples were taken at 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 3 d, and 7 d after brain injury. The expressions of NGF in cerebral cortex, thalamus, cerebellum, and hippocampus were studied with immunohistochemistry and compared with normal group and sham operation group.@*RESULTS@#Low expression of NGF was observed in normal group and sham operation group. The expression of NGF increased 1 h after injury, peaked at 12 h, and returned to basal level at day 7.@*CONCLUSION@#NGF is involved in repair of DAI. The changes of NGF expression following DAI may be applied to estimate the post-injury time interval of the brain in forensic medicine.