showing 8 related works from this author
Inactivation and tachyphylaxis of heat-evoked inward currents in nociceptive primary sensory neurones of rats.
2000
In contrast to other sensory modalities, pain does not decrease when a noxious stimulus is applied at constant intensity (Greene & Hardy, 1962). From this lack of adaptation on the perceptive level it has traditionally been implied that primary nociceptive afferents also do not adapt upon constant stimulation. This is in contrast to the results of recordings from these afferents, which exhibit pronounced adaptation for physical as well as chemical stimuli (Meyer et al. 1994). Peripheral adaptation of nociceptive nerve endings is compensated by central summation (Mendell & Wall, 1965; Price et al. 1977); this slow summation process of small fibre input to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord i…
Flavonoids against the SARS-CoV-2 induced inflammatory storm
2021
The disease severity of COVID-19, especially in the elderly and patients with co-morbidities, is characterized by hypercytokinemia, an exaggerated immune response associated with an uncontrolled and excessive release of proinflammatory cytokine mediators (cytokine storm). Flavonoids, important secondary metabolites of plants, have long been studied as therapeutic interventions in inflammatory diseases due to their cytokine-modulatory effects. In this review, we discuss the potential role of flavonoids in the modulation of signaling pathways that are crucial for COVID-19 disease, particularly those related to inflammation and immunity. The immunomodulatory ability of flavonoids, carried out …
Immunomodulatory effects of stem cells: Therapeutic option for neurodegenerative disorders.
2017
Stem cells have the capability of self-renewal and can differentiate into different cell types that might be used in regenerative medicine. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) currently lack effective treatments. Although stem cell therapy is still on the way from bench to bedside, we consider that it might provide new hope for patients suffering with neurodegenerative diseases. In this article, we will give an overview of recent studies on the potential therapeutic use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), neural stem cells (NSCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), induced pluripotent…
Heat-induced action potential discharges in nociceptive primary sensory neurons of rats.
2009
Although several transducer molecules for noxious stimuli have been identified, little is known about the transformation of the resulting generator currents into action potentials (APs). Therefore we investigated the transformation process for stepped noxious heat stimuli (42-47 degrees C, 3-s duration) into membrane potential changes and subsequent AP discharges using the somata of acutely dissociated small dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons (diameteror=32.5 microm) of adult rats as a model for their own peripheral terminals. Three types of heat-induced membrane potential changes were differentiated: type 1, heat-induced AP discharges (approximately 37% of the neurons); type 2, heat-induce…
Capsaicin differentially modulates voltage-activated calcium channel currents in dorsal root ganglion neurones of rats
2005
It is discussed whether capsaicin, an agonist of the pain mediating TRPV1 receptor, decreases or increases voltage-activated calcium channel (VACC) currents (ICa(V)). ICa(V) were isolated in cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones of rats using the whole cell patch clamp method and Ba 2+ as charge carrier. In large diameter neurones (>35Am), a concentration of 50AM was needed to reduce ICa(V) (activated by depolarizations to 0 mV) by 80%, while in small diameter neurones (30Am), the IC50 was 0.36 AM. This effect was concentration dependent with a threshold below 0.025 AM and maximal blockade (>80%) at 5AM. The current–voltage relation was shifted to the hyperpolarized direction with an…
Coexpression of heat-evoked and capsaicin-evoked inward currents in acutely dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.
1997
Noxious heat is able to activate heat-sensitive nociceptors in the skin very rapidly, but little is known about the mechanisms by which heat is transduced. We used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to study the effects of noxious heat and capsaicin on freshly dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro. Using temperatures between 41 degrees C and 53 degrees C, 8 of 19 small neurons (phior = 30 microm) exhibited a heat-evoked inward current. All heat-sensitive neurons tested were also capsaicin-sensitive. Moreover, the heat response tended to be enhanced after capsaicin (360 +/- 150 pA versus 125 +/- 45 pA, P0.1, n = 7). Two of five heat-insensitive neurons were excited by capsa…
Properties of tuberomammillary histamine neurones and their response to galanin.
1991
Histaminergic neurones in the tuberomammillary nucleus possess electrophysiological properties which distinguish them from other neurones in their neighborhood. Their resting potential is -50 mV and they are spontaneously active at about 2 Hz in a slice preparation. They display a transient outward rectification and an anomalous inward rectification. Bath application of galanin (0.1 microM) reduced their firing rate significantly and hyperpolarized them slightly.
Inhibition of rapid heat responses in nociceptive primary sensory neurons of rats by vanilloid receptor antagonists.
1999
Recent studies demonstrated that heat-sensitive nociceptive primary sensory neurons respond to the vanilloid receptor (VR) agonist capsaicin, and the first cloned VR is a heat-sensitive ion channel. Therefore we studied to what extent heat-evoked currents in nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons can be attributed to the activation of native vanilloid receptors. Heat-evoked currents were investigated in 89 neurons acutely dissociated from adult rat DRGs as models for their own terminals using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Locally applied heated extracellular solution (effective temperature ∼53°C) rapidly activated reversible and reproducible inward currents in 80% (62/80) o…