title: Serotonin modulation of cell excitability and of [3H]GABA and [3H]D-aspartate efflux in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons.
abstract: The effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on neuronal excitability, evaluated as depolarization-induced firing rate, and on amino acid release, measured as electrically-evoked [(3)H]GABA and [(3)H]d-aspartate efflux, were investigated in rat primary cortical neuronal cultures. 5-HT displayed a concentration-dependent, bimodal effect on neuronal excitability: at 3-10microM it increased excitability through 5-HT(2A) receptors, and was blocked by the selective 5-HT(2A) antagonist MDL 100907, whereas at 30-100microM it reduced excitability through 5-HT(1A) receptors, and was, in turn, blocked by the selective 5-HT(1A) antagonist WAY 100135. The electrically-evoked [(3)H]GABA efflux was concentration-dependently inhibited by 5-HT (pEC(50)=4.74) and such inhibition was prevented by WAY 100135, but not by GR 55562, a selective 5-HT(1D/B) receptor antagonist. Conversely, 5-HT concentration-dependently increased stimulus-evoked [(3)H]d-aspartate efflux (pEC(50)=4.71). The increase was facilitated by methiothepin and was reversed into inhibition by ICS 205930, a selective 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist. In the presence of ICS 205930, the inhibition induced by 5-HT was prevented by the selective 5-HT(1D/B) receptor antagonist GR 55562, but not by WAY 100135. These findings suggest that 5-HT inhibits GABA release through 5-HT(1A) receptors and exerts a dual modulation on glutamate release, mostly facilitatory (through 5-HT(3) receptors) but also inhibitory (through 5-HT(1D/B) receptors), leading to a prevalently positive modulation of the excitatory signal by amino acid neurotransmitter containing neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Pharmacology and Neuroscience Center, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17-19, 44100 Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nazzaro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siniscalchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D026603:D-Aspartic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014316:Tritium / Q000378:metabolism; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018490:Serotonin Agents; D014316:Tritium; D012701:Serotonin; D026603:D-Aspartic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid