title: Effects of excitatory amino acids and nimodipine on calcium currents in cultured rat cortical neurons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of excitatory amino acid (EAA) and calcium channel blocker on neuronal calcium channels.
  
  
  METHODS
  With path-clamp technique (whole-cell recording), the effects of Bay-K-8644, cesium glutamate, potassium aspartate, and nimodipine (Nim) on calcium currents (ICa) in cultured cortical neurons of neonatal rats were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ICa was raised obviously by Bay-K-8644 and glutamate. ICa was raised concentration-dependently by aspartate (0.5, 5, 50 mmol.L-1), with increasing rates 15% +/- 3%, 37% +/- 3%, and 53% +/- 6%, respectively. The inhibition of ICa was obvious while adding Nim in the bath solution. With Nim 10 mumol.L-1, the inhibitory rate was 46% +/- 4%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EAA had increasing effects on neuronal calcium currents and Nim inhibited Ca2+ influx in neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Zhujiang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: Z G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D018846:Excitatory Amino Acids / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D018846:Excitatory Amino Acids; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D009553:Nimodipine; D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester