title: A comparative study of the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid and piperazine on the lobster muscle fibre and the frog spinal cord.
abstract: 1 The effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and piperazine were compared on two in vitro preparations, the lobster muscle fibre and the frog spinal cord. 2 Both GABA and piperazine increased the membrane conductance of single lobster muscle fibres without changing the membrane potential; sigmoidal log dose-conductance curves for these agents were obtained and a similar model expressed the receptor interaction of both substances. 3 The actions of GABA and piperazine on lobster muscle were antagonized by picrotoxin and were Cl-dependent. 4 In the frog spinal cord GABA depolarized the dorsal roots presumably by mimicking the activity of the transmitter depolarizing the primary afferents; sigmoidal log dose-response curves for GABA were obtained. 5 On the dorsal roots piperazine produced either depolarizations or biphasic responses; these were mainly indirect effects as was shown by experiments in the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX). 6 The effects of GABA on the dorsal root (in TTX-treated cords) were antagonized by picrotoxin whereas those of piperazine were more resistant to this alkaloid. The GABA-induced responses appeared to be largely Na+-dependent while both Na+ and Cl- seemed to mediate the effects of piperazine. 7 It is proposed that piperazine has GABA-agonist activity on lobster muscle but little GABA-like activity on the frog spinal cord.
mesh_terms: D000613:Aminobutyrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002712:Chlorides / Q000502:physiology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects*; D008121:Nephropidae / Q000502:physiology*; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011896:Rana temporaria; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000613:Aminobutyrates; D002712:Chlorides; D010852:Picrotoxin; D010879:Piperazines; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid