Activation of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in long-term potentiation induced by nicotine in hippocampal CA1 region in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between activation of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) induced by nicotine in area CA 1.


METHODS
Extracellular recording of population spike (PS) was performed within the pyramidal cell layer of hippocampal area CA1 in vitro; Western blot analysis was employed to detect the active phosphorylated state and the total protein expression of p42/44 MAPK.


RESULTS
PD98059 concentration-dependently (25 micromol/L, 50 micromol/L) attenuated the induction of LTP induced by nicotine 10 micromol/L; both p42 and p44 MAPK were activated with their total protein expression increasing in CA1 subregion in response to LTP induced by nicotine.


CONCLUSIONS
Activation of p42/44 MAPK pathway is required for hippocampal LTP induced by nicotine.
Wang
J
J
Department of Pharmacology, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510089, China. jie.wang@strath.ac.uk
Chen
Y B
YB
Zhu
X N
XN
Chen
R Z
RZ
D000818:Animals; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction
D005419:Flavonoids; D009538:Nicotine; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C093973:2-(2-amino-3-methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one