title: The inhibitory effect of nilvadipine on calcium channels in retinal ganglion cells in goldfish.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to examine the inhibitory effect of nilvadipine on voltage-gated calcium (Ca) channels in solitary ganglion cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eyes were excised from goldfish. Ganglion cells were enzymatically dissociated from isolated retina. Whole-cell currents were recorded with the perforated-patch clamp technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depolarizing step pulses to more than -48 mV evoked a slowly inactivating inward Ca current. The current-voltage relation for the nilvadipine-sensitive current was bellshaped, and the peak current reached a maximum at -8 mV in the presence and absence of nilvadipine. Nilvadipine block of voltage-gated Ca current was dose-dependent between 1 and 100 microM. The half-maximum inhibitory dose was 35 microM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inhibitory effect of orally administered nilvadipine on Ca channels had a mild influence in ganglion cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan. sasatsug@w5.dion.ne.jp
authors.forename: Tsugihisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Yuusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakatani
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006054:Goldfish; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; C035100:nilvadipine; D009543:Nifedipine