title: Optical measurements of presynaptic nicotinic effects.
abstract: We have used the styryl dye FM 2-10 to monitor changes in synaptic activity mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) on cultured hippocampal neurons. We show that both 100 microM ACh and nicotine at 20 microM causes a significant increase in staining intensities of presynaptic boutons in the presence of 0.5 microM tetrodotoxin (TTX). This effect of nicotine is blocked by d-tubocurarine. Interestingly, nicotine also had a long-lasting effect on high potassium-induced staining of boutons. These results suggest that nicotine can have significant and sustained effects on synaptic efficacy in cultured hippocampal neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Neuroscience Training Program, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Breeze
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vijayaraghavan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017661:Receptors, Presynaptic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D017661:Receptors, Presynaptic; D013779:Tetrodotoxin