Nimodipine as a potential pharmacological tool for characterizing R-type calcium currents
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
;
: 511-519, 2001.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-728779
ABSTRACT
Nimopidine, one of dihydropyridine derivatives, has been widely used to pharmacologically identify L-type Ca currents. In this study, it was tested if nimodipine is a selective blocker for L-type Ca currents in sensory neurons and heterologous system. In mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRG), low concentrations of nimodipine (10 muM) further reduced the "residual" currents in DRG neurons from alpha1E knock-out mice, after blocking L-, N- and P/Q-type Ca currents with 10 muM nimodipine, 1 muM omega-conotoxin GVIA and 200 nM omega-agatoxin IVA, indicating inhibitory effects of nimodipine on R-type Ca currents. Nimodipine (>10 muM) also produced the inhibition of both low-voltage-activated calcium channel currents in DRG neurons and alpha1B and alpha1E subunit based Ca channel currents in heterologous system. These results suggest that higher nimodipine (>10 muM) is not necessarily selective for L-type Ca currents. While care should be taken in using nimodipine for pharmacologically defining L-type Ca currents from native macroscopic Ca currents, nimodipine (>10 muM) could be a useful pharmacological tool for characterizing R-type Ca currents when combined with toxins blocking other types of Ca channels.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Sensory Receptor Cells
/
Nimodipine
/
Calcium Channels
/
Calcium
/
Diagnosis-Related Groups
/
Mice, Knockout
/
Omega-Conotoxin GVIA
/
Omega-Agatoxin IVA
/
Ganglia, Spinal
/
Neurons
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Animals
Language:
English
Journal:
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
Year:
2001
Type:
Article
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