title: Maturational change of KCl-induced Ca2+ increase in the rat brain synaptosomes.
abstract: To investigate maturational change in the susceptibility of voltage-dependent calcium (Ca2+) channels (VDCC) in the brain to excessive depolarization, which is likely to occur during hypoxia or ischemia, we studied depolarization-induced increases in Ca2+ concentration in cortical synaptosomes ([Ca2+]i) obtained from young (8, 15, 22, 36, and 43-day-old) and adult rats using fura 2-AM as a Ca2+ indicator. The effects of Ca2+ antagonists on the increase were also studied. The maximal increase in [Ca2+]i caused by 50 mM KCl-induced depolarization was significantly lower in 8-day-old rats (73.3 nM) compared with that in adult rats (133.6 nM). On the other hand, the time necessary for [Ca2+]i to decrease to 50% of its maximal level (tau) was significantly shorter in immature rats compared with that in adult rats and was particularly short in 8- and 15-day-old rats (0.28 and 0.40 min vs. 3.85 for adult rats). The maximal increase in [Ca2+]i in 22-day-old rats and tau in adult rats were markedly reduced by verapamil, omega-agatoxin IVA, and omega-conotoxin GVIA (antagonists of L-, P-, and N-type Ca2+ channels, respectively) to similar extents, while a mixture of the three antagonists markedly decreased both maximal increase and tau in 8- and 22-day-old and adult rats. These results indicate that depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx through VDCCs in immature rat brain is less pronounced than that in adult rats, and suggest that the susceptibility of all of L-, N-, and P-type Ca2+ channels is increased during maturation in the first few weeks after birth. This lower susceptibility to depolarization might be involved in the resistance to hypoxia in immature animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Showa University School of Medicine, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tatsuno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kiuchi
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D002118:Calcium