Thymosin alpha-1 modulates excitatory synaptic transmission in cultured hippocampal neurons in rats.
Thymosin alpha-1 (Talpha1) not only possesses immunoregulatory properties in periphery but also is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) and affects the function of the CNS. To further elucidate the role of Talpha1 in the CNS, the whole-cell recording technique was used to observe the effect of Talpha1 on the spontaneous excitatory synaptic transmission in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. The results showed that acute treatment with Talpha1 significantly enhanced the frequency of AMPA-mediated spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) at the concentrations of 1 and 10 microg/ml and also enhanced the frequency of AMPA-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic current (mEPSC) at 10 microg/ml. However, the amplitude of both sEPSC and mEPSC were not changed by Talpha1. Those results suggested that Talpha1 involves in the regulation of excitatory synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons, which contribute to its neurophysiological function in the CNS.
Yang
Sheng
S
DBeijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27 Tai-Ping Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100850, China.
Liu
Zhen-Wei
ZW
Zhou
Wen-Xia
WX
Zhang
Yong-Xiang
YX
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077596:Thymalfasin; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology*
D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D013947:Thymosin; D000077596:Thymalfasin