title: Antinociceptive activity of calcitonin and central cholinergic system: behavioural and neurochemical analyses.
abstract: Behavioural and neurochemical analyses were carried out to investigate the relationship between the antinociceptive activity of porcine calcitonin (pCT) and central cholinergic system in mice and rats. Behavioural studies revealed that the antinociceptive activity of pCT encapsulated in sulphatide-containing liposomes injected intravenously into mice was significantly inhibited by atropine sulphate, but not by atropine methylnitrate, and potentiated by physostigmine, but not by neostigmine. Neurochemical studies using rat brain synaptosomes showed that pCT stimulated synaptosomal sodium-dependent high-affinity choline uptake, which was found to be closely associated with acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis (50-60%). This effect was concentration-dependent. In addition, pCT elicited a biphasic effect on ACh release from synaptosomes with an initial brief period of stimulation and subsequent prolonged inhibition. This stimulation was not affected by atropine sulphate, but markedly reduced by incubation in the presence of diltiazem or in a calcium-free medium, indicating that the modulation of ACh release by the peptide may be mediated by calcium fluxes across the synaptosomal membrane independent of cholinergic receptor activation. However, pCT does not affect the activity of synaptosomal acetylcholinesterase. Therefore, the behavioural study in vivo with the neurochemical analysis in vitro suggests that the central cholinergic system may be involved in the antinociceptive activity of calcitonin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D008081:Liposomes; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity; D051381:Rats; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D008081:Liposomes; D002116:Calcitonin; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D002794:Choline; D000109:Acetylcholine