title: The effects of lead on transient outward currents of acutely dissociated rat dorsal root ganglia.
abstract: The effects of Pb2+ on transient outward currents (TOCs) were investigated on rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons at postnatal days of 15 approximately 21, using the conventional whole-cell patch-clamp technique. In media-sized (35 approximately 40 microm) neurons and in the presence of 50 mM TEA, TOCs that preliminarly included an A-current (IA) and a D-current (ID), were clearly present and dominant. Application of Pb2+ lengthened the initial delay of TOCs and increased the onset-peak time in a concentration-dependent manner. The amplitudes of initial outward current peak were reduced with increasing Pb2+ concentrations. The inhibitory effects of Pb2+ on TOCs were reversible with 80 approximately 90% of current reversed in 2 approximately 10 min at 1 approximately 400 microM Pb2+. For the normalized activation curves fitted by a single Boltzmann equation under each condition, there was a shift to more depolarized voltages with increasing concentrations of Pb2+. The V1/2 and the slope factor (k) increased from 12.76+/-1.49 mV and 15.31+/-1.66 mV (n=10) under control condition to 39.91+/-5.44 mV (n=10, P<0.01) and 21.39+/-3.13 mV (n=10, P<0.05) at 400 microM Pb2+, respectively, indicating that Pb2+ decreased the activation of TOCs. For the normalized steady-state inactivation curves, the V1/2 and the k increased from -92.31+/-2.72 and 8.59+/-1.36 mV (n=10) to -55.65+/-3.67 (n=10, P<0.01) and 23.02+/-2.98 mV (n=10, P<0.01) at 400 microM Pb2+, respectively. The curves were shifted to more depolarized voltages by Pb2+, indicating that channels were less likely to be inactivated at higher concentrations of Pb2+ at any given potential. The fast (tf) and slow (ts) decay time-constants were both significantly increased by increasing concentrations of Pb2+ (n=10, P<0.05), indicating that Pb2+ increased the decay time-course of TOCs. These effects were concentration-dependent and partly reversible following washing. Ca2+ modulated the TOCs gating and might share same binding site with Pb2+, for which Ca2+ had very low affinity. In summary, the results demonstrated that Pb2+ was a dose- and voltage-dependent, and reversible blocker of TOCs in rat DRG neurons. After Pb2+ application, normal sensory physiology of DRG neurons was affected, and these neurons might display aberrant firing properties that resulted in abnormal sensations. This variation caused by Pb2+ could underlie the toxical modulation of sensory input to the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China,Hefei, Anhui 230027, PR China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D007854:Lead / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D007854:Lead