title: Effect of voltage-dependent calcium channel blockers on ethanol-induced beta-endorphin release from hypothalamic neurons in primary cultures.
abstract: The voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) has been shown to mediate calcium entry into neurons that regulates neurotransmission in many neuronal cells. Four major types of VDCCs (three high-voltage-activated L-, N-, and P-types and one low-voltage-activated T-type) have been identified in neurons. Involvement of the VDCC in ethanol-stimulated beta-endorphin (beta-EP) release from hypothalamic neurons has not been studied. In the present study, the role of VDCC on basal and ethanol-induced beta-EP release was determined by using rat fetal hypothalamic cells in primary cultures. Treatments with a 50 mM dose of ethanol for 3 hr increased immunoreactive beta-EP (IR-beta-EP) release from hypothalamic cells maintained in cultures for 9 days. Ethanol-induced IR-beta-EP release was inhibited by a P/Q-type channel blocker omega-agatoxin TK (0.1-1 microM), an N-type channel blocker omega-conotoxin (0.1-1 microM), an L-type blocker nifedipine (1-10 microM), and a T-type blocker flunarizine (1-10 microM). The minimal effective doses of these blockers that blocked the ethanol response produced no significant effects on basal release of IR-beta-EP; neither did these doses of the blockers produce any significant effects on cell viability. These results suggest that ethanol-stimulated IR-beta-EP release is regulated by extracellular calcium involving P-, N-, L- and T-type channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-6520, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De
authors.forename: N I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Boyadjieva
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Sarkar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020864:Calcium Channels, N-Type; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005444:Flunarizine / Q000494:pharmacology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D020864:Calcium Channels, N-Type; D000431:Ethanol; D005444:Flunarizine; D009543:Nifedipine; D001615:beta-Endorphin