title: Neuroprotective effect of nicotine against kainic acid excitotoxicity is associated with alpha-bungarotoxin insensitive receptors subtype of nAChRs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our previous study showed that administration of nicotine is capable to protect the neurons of hippocampus against the kainic acid induced damage. Here we tested the hypotheses that multiple nicotine administration would prevent the effects of kainic acid on neuronal nicotinic receptor subtypes densities (α-bungarotoxin sensitive and α-bungarotoxin insentive) and on hippocampal cell degeneration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radioligand binding study was used to detect the particular nAChR subtypes densities. Two histochemical methods (bis-benzimide staining and Fluoro-Jade B dye) were used to detect and evaluate neuronal degeneration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study shows that: a) kainic acid single administration increased the number of α-bungarotoxin insentive nicotinic receptors, b) nicotine was able to prevent such changes, c) repeated nicotine administration is capable to attenuate the damage of CA1 and CA3 areas of the hippocampus. No effect on α-bungarotoxin sentive nicotinic receptors was observed. Our data therefore reveal the importance of α-bungarotoxin insentive nicotinic receptors in the response to kainite and the ability of nicotine to prevent such changes both in the cell degeneration and in number of receptors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nicotine administration influences α-bungarotoxin insensitive receptors and repeated administration is capable to protect against toxicity caused by kainic acid in hippocampal area.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. vladimir.riljak@lf1.cuni.cz
authors.forename: Vladimír
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Riljak
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benes
authors.forename: Jaroslav
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pokorný
authors.forename: Jaromir
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Myslivecek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002038:Bungarotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002038:Bungarotoxins; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D009538:Nicotine; D007608:Kainic Acid