Effects of synthetic (-)-huperzine A on cholinesterase activities and mouse water maze performance. (41/3151)

AIM: To compare the effects of synthetic and natural (-)-huperzine A (Hup A) on cholinesterase and mouse water maze performance. METHODS: Spectrophotometry was used to determine cholinesterase activity. Mouse water maze was used to evaluate nootropic effect. RESULTS: The IC50 of synthetic Hup A for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) of rat cortex and rat erythrocyte membrane determined in vitro were 64.7 (52.6-79.5) and 53.9 (43.6-66.6) nmol.L-1, respectively, and for butyrylcholinesterase of rat serum was 53.6 (44.9-63.8) mumol.L-1. Synthetic Hup A 0.12-0.48 mg.kg-1 ig produced a dose-dependent inhibition of brain AChE in mice. Synthetic Hup A 0.05 mg.kg-1 ig attenuated scopolamine-induced impairment of spatial memory. The efficacy of synthetic Hup A was the same as natural Hup A. CONCLUSION: Synthetic Hup A yielded an in vitro and in vivo pharmacological profile of activities similar to that of natural Hup A.  (+info)

Cytotoxicities of alkaloids from processed and unprocessed seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica. (42/3151)

AIM: To examine the cytotoxicities of 6 crude Strychnos alkaloid fractions from the seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica unprocessed or processed with various traditional processing methods and 13 pure Strychnos alkaloids from the fractions. METHODS: Using cell culture, their inhibitory effects on Vero cell growth-inhibition assay, and host cell DNA synthesis by [3H]thymidine ([3H]TdR) uptake assay. RESULTS: The IC50 of processed seeds were 155% and 212% of unprocessed ones in cell growth-inhibition assay and in [3H]TdR uptake assay, respectively. The IC50 of 13 compounds were 0.45-0.80 mmol.L-1 and 0.50-12 mmol.L-1, respectively. The processing method with sand bath exhibited a wide safety margin compared with other traditional processing methods or no processing. The isomers of Strychnos alkaloids and their N-oxides showed much lower cytotoxicities among these alkaloids. Isobrucine N-oxide showed the lowest cytotoxicity. The contents of isomers and N-oxides of Strychnos alkaloids were the highest in the sand processing. CONCLUSION: Processing of nux vomica plays a critical role in its toxicity.  (+info)

Competitive antagonism of the mouse 5-hydroxytryptamine3 receptor by bisindolylmaleimide I, a "selective" protein kinase C inhibitor. (43/3151)

We examined the effects of several protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors on the murine 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) receptor to determine whether they acted directly on the receptor. The 5-HT-evoked currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing the recombinant 5-HT3 receptor were measured with the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. The PKC inhibitors bisindolylmaleimide I (BIM, GF109203x) and staurosporine, but not calphostin C or chelerythrine, decreased the 5-HT3 receptor-mediated currents when coapplied with 5-HT. BIM blocked 0.5 microM 5-HT-elicited currents with an IC50 value of 7 nM, whereas in the presence of 5 microM staurosporine, 42% inhibition of 0.5 microM 5-HT-mediated currents was observed. Increasing concentrations of BIM resulted in a rightward shift of the 5-HT concentration-response curve, without altering efficacy. A Schild plot was generated, which had a slope of -1.01, suggesting competitive antagonism. The Ki value of BIM was determined to be 29 nM. To confirm competitive antagonism, a competitive binding assay was performed on Sf21 insect cells infected with the mouse 5-HT3 receptor cDNA in a baculovirus expression vector. BIM completely displaced binding of the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist [3H]GR65630. BIM bound to the 5-HT3 receptor with a Ki value of 61 nM, which was slightly less potent than that of the selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL72222 (27 nM). The PKC inhibitor BIM is a potent competitive antagonist at the 5-HT3 receptor.  (+info)

Inhibition of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis following induction of apoptosis in HL-60 cells. (44/3151)

Induction of apoptosis in HL-60 cells, using a variety of cytotoxic drugs, resulted, in all cases, in inhibition of CDP-choline:1, 2-diacylglycerol choline phosphotransferase, leading to an accumulation of its substrate, CDP-choline, and inhibition of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. Incubation of the cells with phosphatidylcholine reduced the number displaying an apoptotic morphology following drug treatment, and this was inversely related to the degree to which the drugs inhibited phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. Inhibition of choline phosphotransferase by two of the drugs, farnesol and chelerythrine, was shown to be due to direct inhibition of the enzyme, while inhibition by the other drugs, etoposide and camptothecin, could be explained by the intracellular acidification that followed induction of apoptosis.  (+info)

Phorbol ester promotes endocytosis by activating a factor involved in endosome fusion. (45/3151)

Previous studies indicate that a zinc- and phorbol ester-binding factor is necessary for in vitro endosome fusion and for the effect of Rab5 on endosome fusion. Rab5 is a small GTPase that regulates membrane fusion between early endosomes derived from either receptor-mediated endocytosis or fluid-phase endocytosis. In its GTP-bound form, Rab5 promotes endocytosis and enhances fusion among early endosomes. To determine if PMA stimulates endocytosis by activating a factor required for endosome fusion, we overexpressed wild-type Rab5, a dominant negative mutant (Rab5:S34N), and a GTPase deficient mutant (Rab5:Q79L) in BHK-21 cells. The phorbol ester PMA stimulates endocytosis and increases the number and the size of endocytic vesicles, even in the presence of Rab5:S34N. Zinc depletion with N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) and addition of calphostin C (CPC), an inhibitor of PKC that interacts with zinc and phorbol ester binding motifs, inhibited both basal and Rab5-stimulated fluid phase endocytosis. These two reagents also inhibited the size and number of endocytic vesicles promoted by Rab5. These results suggest that PMA stimulates endocytosis by regulating the dynamics of the early endosome compartment.  (+info)

Differential G-protein activation by alkaloid and peptide opioid agonists in the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-BE. (46/3151)

Differences in the specificity of coupling of delta-opioid receptor with G-protein have been reported in the literature. We have observed a differential desensitization of delta-opioid receptors, endogenously expressed in the neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-BE, induced by peptide and alkaloid agonists. By combining photoaffinity labelling of receptor-activated G-proteins with [alpha-(32)P]azidoanilide-GTP and an anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotide strategy, we examined whether the chemical nature of opioid agonists, alkaloid or peptide, has a critical role in determining a G(i)alpha/G(o)alpha-protein-selective activation by the human delta-opioid receptors. Etorphine, a non-selective alkaloid agonist, was shown to stimulate the incorporation of [alpha-(32)P]azidoanilide-GTP into G(i)alpha1, G(i)alpha2, G(i)alpha3 and pertussis-toxin-insensitive Galpha subunits. In contrast, [d-Pen(2),d-Pen(5)]enkephalin (DPDPE; Pen is penicillamine) and Tyr-d-Ala-Phe-Asp-Val-Val-Gly-NH(2) (deltorphin I), selective peptide agonists, mainly activated G(i)alpha2 and G(o)alpha2 subunits. The 'knock-down' of G(o)alpha2 subunits by anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotides selectively decreased the inhibition of adenylate cyclase induced by DPDPE and deltorphin I, whereas anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotides directed against G(i)alpha2 subunits only decreased the potency of etorphine in inhibiting cAMP accumulation. These results suggest that the nature of the agonist, peptide or alkaloid is critical in determining the interaction between human delta-opioid receptors and Galpha subunits.  (+info)

Rat supraoptic magnocellular neurones show distinct large conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channel subtypes in cell bodies versus nerve endings. (47/3151)

1. Large conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels were identified in freshly dissociated rat supraoptic neurones using patch clamp techniques. 2. The single channel conductance of cell body BK channels, recorded from inside-out patches in symmetric 145 mM K+, was 246.1 pS, compared with 213 pS in nerve ending BK channels (P<0.01). 3. At low open probability (Po), the reciprocal of the slope in the ln(NPo)-voltage relationship (N, number of available channels in the patch) for cell body and nerve ending channels were similar: 11 vs. 14 mV per e-fold change in NPo, respectively. 4. At 40 mV, the [Ca2+]i producing half-maximal activation was 273 nM, as opposed to >1.53 microM for the neurohypophysial channel, indicating the higher Ca2+ sensitivity of the cell body isochannel. 5. Cell body BK channels showed fast kinetics (open time constant, 8.5 ms; fast closed time constant, 1.6 and slow closed time constant, 12.7 ms), identifying them as 'type I' isochannels, as opposed to the slow gating (type II) of neurohypophysial BK channels. 6. Cell body BK activity was reduced by 10 nM charybdotoxin (NPo, 37% of control), or 10 nM iberiotoxin (NPo, 5% of control), whereas neurohypophysial BK channels are insensitive to charybdotoxin at concentrations as high as 360 nM. 7. Whilst blockade of nerve ending BK channels markedly slowed the repolarization of evoked single spikes, blockade of cell body channels was without effect on repolarization of evoked single spikes. 8. Ethanol reversibly increased neurohypophysial BK channel activity (EC50, 22 mM; maximal effect, 100 mM). In contrast, ethanol (up to 100 mM) failed to increase cell body BK channel activity. 9. In conclusion, we have characterized BK channels in supraoptic neuronal cell bodies, and demonstrated that they display different electrophysiological and pharmacological properties from their counterparts in the nerve endings.  (+info)

l-S.R-daurisoline protects cultured hippocampal neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity by reducing nitric oxide production. (48/3151)

AIM: To explore mechanisms of l-S.R-daurisoline (DS)-mediated protection of cultured hippocampal neurons from sodium glutamate (Glu) cytotoxicity. METHODS: Cultured neurons obtained from rat hippocampus were used to examine the protective effect of DS against Glu neurotoxicity. Cell viability was estimated using trypan blue dye exclusion method and [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay. Release of nitric oxide (NO) from the hippocampus was assayed using rat thoracic aorta in vitro. RESULTS: DS 0.01-10 mumol.L-1 concentration-dependently inhibited Glu cytotoxicity and increased cell viability with 50% prevention of cell death 2.8 mumol.L-1 (95% confidence limit 1.2-5.9 mumol.L-1). This protection was mostly attenuated by L-arginine (Arg) 1 mmol.L-1. DS 0.01-10 mumol.L-1 did not prevent sodium nitropusside (SNP) 500 mumol.L-1-induced cytotoxicity. DS 10 mumol.L-1 blocked Glu-elicited relaxation of the endothelium-denued rat aortic rings contracted by norepinephrine (NE) 10 mumol.L-1 in the presence of hippocampal tissue, but did not affect that induced by SNP. This indicated that DS inhibited Glu-triggered NO generation but did not prevent the effects of NO. CONCLUSION: DS prevented neurons from Glu neurotoxicity by inhibiting Glu-triggered NO generation.  (+info)