Search results for "microiontophoresi"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
Brain Distribution and Modulation of Neuronal Excitability by Indicaxanthin From Opuntia Ficus Indica Administered at Nutritionally-Relevant Amounts
2018
Several studies have recently investigated the role of nutraceuticals in complex pathophysiological processes such as oxidative damages, inflammatory conditions and excitotoxicity. In this regard, the effects of nutraceuticals on basic functions of neuronal cells, such as excitability, are still poorly investigated. For this reason, the possible modulation of neuronal excitability by phytochemicals (PhC) could represent an interesting field of research given that excitotoxicity phenomena are involved in neurodegenerative alterations leading, for example, to Alzheimer's disease. The present study was focused on indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus indica, a bioactive betalain pigment, with a pro…
Nitric oxide-active compounds modulate glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in globus pallidus of rat
2011
The globus pallidus (GP) of rodents, homologous to the external globus pallidus of primates, plays a critical role in the expression of basal ganglia (BG) function. Glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs have been demonstrated to greatly modulate the spontaneous GP activity. In this study the effects of local applied NO-active compounds on glutamate (GLU)- and GABA-evoked responses were investigated in rat GP neurons. Extracellularly recorded single units from anesthetized rats were treated with GLU or GABA before and during the microiontophoretic application of S-nitrosoglutathione (SNOG), a NO donor, and Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a NOS inhibitor. Most GP cells were excited by…
Nitric oxide-active compounds modulate the intensity of glutamate-evoked responses in the globus pallidus
2011
In this study, the effects of microiontophoretically applied NO-active compounds on glutamate(GLU)-evoked responses were investigated in globus pallidus (GP) neurons from anesthetized rats. Most GP cells were excited by S-nitrosoglutathione (SNOG), an NO donor, whereas administration of Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a NOS inhibitor, induced a decrease of GP neurons activity. Nearly all neurons responding to SNOG and/or L-NAME showed significant excitatory responses to the administration of iontophoretic GLU. In these cells, the changes induced by NO-active drugs in the magnitude of GLU-evoked responses were used as indicators of NO modulation. When an NO-active drug and GLU wer…
Effects of scopolamine on dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra : role of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus
2009
Previous neurochemical and behavioral studies suggest that muscarinic receptor antagonism has an excitatory effect on the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system. Using in vivo extracellular single unit recording, this study examined whether blockade of the muscarinic receptor by scopolamine alters the firing properties of DA neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Scopolamine was administered either systemically or locally to DA neurons using microiontophoresis. Surprisingly, scopolamine did not cause any significant change in either the firing rate or pattern of the spontaneously active DA neurons. However, systemic injection of scopolamine significantly increased the number of active DA neurons…
Nitric oxide-active compounds modulate the intensity of glutamate-evoked responses in the globus pallidus of the rat
2011
Abstract Aim The effects of local applied NO-active compounds on glutamate (GLU)-evoked responses were investigated in globus pallidus (GP) neurons. Main methods Extracellularly recorded single units from anesthetized rats were treated with GLU before and during the microiontophoretic application of S-nitrosoglutathione (SNOG), a NO donor, and Nω-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a NOS inhibitor. Key findings Most GP cells were excited by SNOG whereas administration of L-NAME induced decrease of GP neurons activity. Nearly all neurons responding to SNOG and/or L-NAME showed significant modulation of their excitatory responses to the administration of iontophoretic GLU. In these cell…
Modulation of in vivo GABA-evoked responses by nitric oxide-active compounds in the globus pallidus of rat.
2012
Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule acting as a messenger in both the peripheral and the central nervous systems. NO affects synaptic activity by modulating neurotransmitter release and/or receptor function. We previously observed that NO-active compounds modify the bioelectric activity of basal ganglia (BG) units. In this study, we applied microiontophoresis to extracellular in vivo recordings to investigate the effect of NO-active compounds on GABA-evoked responses in the globus pallidus (GP) of anesthetized rats. The changes induced by NO-active drugs on the GABA-induced inhibition were used as indicators of NO modulation. The response to GABA release was tested on recorded GP neuron…
Indicaxanthin from Opuntia ficus-indica Crosses the Blood–Brain Barrier and Modulates Neuronal Bioelectric Activity in Rat Hippocampus at Dietary-Con…
2015
Indicaxanthin is a bioactive and bioavailable betalain pigment from the Opuntia ficus-indica fruits. In this in vivo study, kinetic measurements showed that indicaxanthin is revealed in the rat brain within 1 h from oral administration of 2 μmol/ kg, an amount compatible with a dietary consumption of cactus pear fruits in humans. A peak (20 ± 2.4 ng of indicaxanthin per whole brain) was measured after 2.5 h; thereafter the molecule disappeared with first order kinetics within 4 h. The potential of indicaxanthin to affect neural activities was in vivo investigated by a microiontophoretic approach. Indicaxanthin, administered in a range between 0.085 ng and 0.34 ng per neuron, dose-dependentl…
Nitric oxide- and cGMP-active compounds affect the discharge of substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons: in vivo evidences in the rat
2009
The nitric oxide (NO)-active drugs influence on the bioelectric activity of neurons of the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra was studied in urethane-anesthetized rats. A first group of animals was treated with 7-nitro-indazole (7-NI), a preferential inhibitor of neuronal NO synthase. In a second group of rats, electrophysiological recordings were coupled with microiontophoretic administration of Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, a NO synthase inhibitor), 3-morpholino-sydnonimin-hydrocloride (SIN-1, a NO donor) and 8-Br-cGMP (a cell-permeable analogue of cGMP, the main second-messenger of NO neurotransmission). 7-NI and L-NAME caused a statistically significant decrease in …
Molecular and functional interactions between tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptors and the glutamatergic system in the mouse hippocampus: Implicatio…
2009
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a proinflammatory cytokine acting on two distinct receptor subtypes, namely p55 and p75 receptors. TNF-alpha p55 and p75 receptor knockout mice were previously shown to display a decreased or enhanced susceptibility to seizures, respectively, suggesting intrinsic modifications in neuronal excitability. We investigated whether alterations in glutamate system function occur in these naive knockout mice with perturbed cytokine signaling that could explain their different propensity to develop seizures. Using Western blot analysis of hippocampal homogenates, we found that p55(-/-) mice have decreased levels of membrane GluR3 and NR1 glutamate receptor subuni…
NITRIC OXIDE-ACTIVE COMPOUNDS MODULATE IN VIVO GABA-EVOKED RESPONSES IN THE GLOBUS PALLIDUS OF RAT
2012
Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a messenger in the central nervous system; it affects the synaptic activity by modulating neurotransmitter release and/or receptor function. We previously observed that NO-active compounds modify the bioelectric activity of basal ganglia (BG) units. In this study, we applied microiontophoresis to extracellular in vivo recordings to investigate the effect of NO-active compounds on GABA-evoked responses in the globus pallidus (GP) of rats. The response to GABA release was tested on recorded GP neurons before and during the administration of S-nitroso-glutathione (SNOG, NO donor) and/or Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS…