Nitric oxide participates in the stimulatory and neurotoxic action of endothelin on rat striatal dopaminergic neurons.

1. Our method of real-time monitoring of dopamine release from rat striatal slices revealed that endothelin (ET)-3-induced dopamine release was inhibited by NG-methyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; 1 mM), an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, while NG-methyl-D-arginine (D-NMMA; 1 mM), an inactive isomer of L-NMMA, had no effect. 2. The inhibition of L-NMMA (0.1 mM) became apparent when tissues were pretreated with tetrodotoxin (1 microM) for 30 min and subsequently exposed to ET-3 (4 microM). 3. L-NMMA (0.1 and 1 mM) dose dependently protected against ET-3-triggered hypoxic/hypoglycemic impairment of striatal responses to high K+. 4. Thus, NO may work as a promoter in mediation of the stimulatory and neurotoxic action of ET-3 on the striatal dopaminergic system, presumably by interacting with interneurons in the striatum.

Contribution of L-type Ca2+ channels to long-term enhancement of high K(+)-evoked release of dopamine from rat striatal slices.

Pre-treatment with BAY K 8644, an L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels agonist, produced long-term enhancement (LTE) of over 2 h of high K(+)-evoked dopamine release from rat striatal slices. Exposure to BAY K 8644 under Ca(2+)-free conditions did not enhance this release. Thus, a transient activation of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels followed by Ca2+ entry can trigger LTE of the evoked DA release from striatal tissues. This type of LTE in the striatum underlines the importance of presynaptic mechanisms, including L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels of 'long-term potentiation' expression.

NMDA receptor involvement in endothelin neurotoxicity in rat striatal slices.

The high K(+)-evoked dopamine release from rat striatal slices remained impaired by 50% up to 2 h after pulse exposure of the tissues to endothelin-3, under conditions of hypoglycemia/hypoxia. This striatal dysfunction was significantly improved by D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, a NMDA receptor antagonist, at a much lower concentration than that providing protection against NMDA-evoked dysfunction. In light of these findings, the important role of glutamatergic mechanisms, especially NMDA receptors, in mediating endothelin neurotoxicity warrants further attention.

Histological evidence for neuroprotective action of nebracetam on ischemic neuronal injury in the hippocampus of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The protective effect of nebracetam on ischemic neuronal damage was histologically examined in the pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampal CA1 subfield 7 days after operation using stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) subjected to 10-min bilateral carotid occlusion. Nebracetam (50 and 100 mg/kg), given orally 10 min after reperfusion, dose-dependently protected against ischemic delayed neuronal damage in the SHRSP with occlusion; however, the blood pressure remained unchanged following nebracetam administration. These findings further support the notion that nebracetam protects against ischemic delayed neuronal cell death in the hippocampus.

ETB receptor involvement in stimulatory and neurotoxic action of endothelin on dopamine neurones.

We examined the role of endothelin (ET) receptor subtypes in mediating the transient and sustained release of dopamine (DA) evoked by ETs and ET-1-induced dopaminergic dysfunction in rat striatal slices. Both phases of the release of DA evoked by ET-1 and ET-3 were inhibited by RES-701-1 (ETB antagonist) but not BQ-123 (ETA antagonist). The high K(+)-evoked DA release from slices remained impaired following a brief exposure to ET-1, under conditions of hypoxia/hypoglycaemia. RES-701-1 but not BQ-123 led to a recovery from ET-1-induced striatal dysfunction. Therefore, ETB receptors are involved in the stimulatory and neurotoxic actions of ETs on the striatal dopaminergic system.