title: mu-opioid receptor activation inhibits N- and P-type Ca2+ channel currents in magnocellular neurones of the rat supraoptic nucleus.
abstract: 1. The whole-cell voltage-clamp technique was used to examine opioid regulation of Ba2+ currents (IBa) through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels in isolated magnocellular supraoptic neurones (MNCs). The effects of local application of mu-, delta- or kappa-opioid receptor selective agonists were examined on specific components of high voltage-activated (HVA) IBa, pharmacologically isolated by use of Ca2+ channel-subtype selective antagonists. 2. The mu-opioid receptor selective agonist, DAMGO, suppressed HVA IBa (in 64/71 neurones) in a naloxone-reversible and concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 170 nM, Emax = 19.5 %). The DAMGO-induced inhibition was rapid in onset, associated with kinetic slowing and voltage dependent, being reversed by strong depolarizing prepulses. Low-voltage activated (LVA) IBa was not modulated by DAMGO. 3. Administration of kappa- (U69 593) or delta-selective (DPDPE) opioid receptor agonists did not affect IBa. However, immunostaining of permeabilized MNCs with an antibody specific for kappa1-opioid receptors revealed the presence of this opioid receptor subtype in a large number of isolated somata. 4. mu-opioid-induced inhibition in IBa was largely abolished after blockade of N-type and P-type channel currents by omega-conotoxin GVIA (1 microM) and omega-agatoxin IVA (100 nM), respectively. Quantitation of antagonist effects on DAMGO-induced reductions in IBa revealed that N- and P-type channels contributed roughly equally to the mu-opioid sensitive portion of total IBa. 5. These results indicate that mu-opioid receptors are negatively coupled to N- and P-type Ca2+ channels in the somatodendritic regions of MNCs, possibly via a membrane-delimited G-protein-dependent pathway. They also support a scheme in which opioids may act in part to modulate cellular activity and regulate neurosecretory function by their direct action on the neuroendocrine neurones of the hypothalamic supraoptic neucleus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0622,, USA.soldob@umich.edu
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Soldo
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Moises
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001464:Barium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta / Q000819:agonists; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa / Q000819:agonists; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000819:agonists*; D013111:Spider Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology; D013495:Supraoptic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020867:omega-Agatoxin IVA; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D004745:Enkephalins; D010455:Peptides; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D013111:Spider Venoms; D020867:omega-Agatoxin IVA; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-; D001464:Barium; D020866:omega-Conotoxin GVIA