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Bicuculline, pentobarbital and diazepam modulate spontaneous GABA(A) channels in rat hippocampal neurons

Birnir, Bryndis LU ; Eghbali, M ; Everitt, A B and Gage, P W (2000) In British Journal of Pharmacology 131(4). p.695-704
Abstract
Spontaneously opening, chloride-selective channels that showed outward rectification were recorded in ripped-off patches from rat cultured hippocampal neurons and in cell-attached patches from rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in slices. In both preparations, channels had multiple conductance states and the most common single-channel conductance varied. In the outside-out patches it ranged from 12 to 70 pS (Vp=40 mV) whereas in the cell-attached patches it ranged from 56 to 85 pS (-Vp=80 mV). Application of GABA to a patch showing spontaneous channel activity evoked a rapid, synchronous activation of channels. During prolonged exposure to either 5 or 100 microM GABA, the open probability of channels decreased. Application of GABA... (More)
Spontaneously opening, chloride-selective channels that showed outward rectification were recorded in ripped-off patches from rat cultured hippocampal neurons and in cell-attached patches from rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in slices. In both preparations, channels had multiple conductance states and the most common single-channel conductance varied. In the outside-out patches it ranged from 12 to 70 pS (Vp=40 mV) whereas in the cell-attached patches it ranged from 56 to 85 pS (-Vp=80 mV). Application of GABA to a patch showing spontaneous channel activity evoked a rapid, synchronous activation of channels. During prolonged exposure to either 5 or 100 microM GABA, the open probability of channels decreased. Application of GABA appeared to have no immediate effect on single-channel conductance. Exposure of the patches to 100 microM bicuculline caused a gradual decrease on the single-channel conductance of the spontaneous channels. The time for complete inhibition to take place was slower in the outside-out than in the cell-attached patches. Application of 100 microM pentobarbital or 1 microM diazepam caused 2 - 4 fold increase in the maximum channel conductance of low conductance (<40 pS) spontaneously active channels. The observation of spontaneously opening GABA(A) channels in cell-attached patches on neurons in slices suggests that they may have a role in neurons in vivo and could be an important site of action for some drugs such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates and general anaesthetics. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
current potentiation, gating, single channel conductance, GABAA receptors, anaesthetics, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, diazepam, bicuculline, inhibition
in
British Journal of Pharmacology
volume
131
issue
4
pages
695 - 704
publisher
Wiley
external identifiers
  • pmid:11030718
  • scopus:0035223827
ISSN
1476-5381
DOI
10.1038/sj.bjp.0703621
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: GABA Channels in Physiology and Pharmacology (013241570)
id
087d2eb9-78fd-4ef9-bec9-c2d47e5a31cc (old id 1117268)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 15:58:47
date last changed
2022-02-27 17:59:33
@article{087d2eb9-78fd-4ef9-bec9-c2d47e5a31cc,
  abstract     = {{Spontaneously opening, chloride-selective channels that showed outward rectification were recorded in ripped-off patches from rat cultured hippocampal neurons and in cell-attached patches from rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in slices. In both preparations, channels had multiple conductance states and the most common single-channel conductance varied. In the outside-out patches it ranged from 12 to 70 pS (Vp=40 mV) whereas in the cell-attached patches it ranged from 56 to 85 pS (-Vp=80 mV). Application of GABA to a patch showing spontaneous channel activity evoked a rapid, synchronous activation of channels. During prolonged exposure to either 5 or 100 microM GABA, the open probability of channels decreased. Application of GABA appeared to have no immediate effect on single-channel conductance. Exposure of the patches to 100 microM bicuculline caused a gradual decrease on the single-channel conductance of the spontaneous channels. The time for complete inhibition to take place was slower in the outside-out than in the cell-attached patches. Application of 100 microM pentobarbital or 1 microM diazepam caused 2 - 4 fold increase in the maximum channel conductance of low conductance (&lt;40 pS) spontaneously active channels. The observation of spontaneously opening GABA(A) channels in cell-attached patches on neurons in slices suggests that they may have a role in neurons in vivo and could be an important site of action for some drugs such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates and general anaesthetics.}},
  author       = {{Birnir, Bryndis and Eghbali, M and Everitt, A B and Gage, P W}},
  issn         = {{1476-5381}},
  keywords     = {{current potentiation; gating; single channel conductance; GABAA receptors; anaesthetics; barbiturates; benzodiazepines; diazepam; bicuculline; inhibition}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{695--704}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley}},
  series       = {{British Journal of Pharmacology}},
  title        = {{Bicuculline, pentobarbital and diazepam modulate spontaneous GABA(A) channels in rat hippocampal neurons}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjp.0703621}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/sj.bjp.0703621}},
  volume       = {{131}},
  year         = {{2000}},
}