Nishizaki, T., Nomura, T., Matuoka, T., Kondoh, T., Enikolopov, G., Sumikawa, K., Watabe, S., Shiotani, T., Yoshii, M. (August 2000) The anti-dementia drug nefiracetam facilitates hippocampal synaptic transmission by functionally targeting presynaptic nicotinic ACh receptors. Molecular Brain Research, 80 (1). pp. 53-62. ISSN 0169-328X
Abstract
Nefiracetam, a pyrrolidone derivative developed as an anti-dementia drug, persistently potentiated currents through neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (alpha 7, alpha 4 beta 2) expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the potentiation was blocked by either the selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, GF109203X and staurosporine, or co-expressed active PKC inhibitor peptide. In primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons, nefiracetam increased the rate of nicotine-sensitive miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, without affecting the amplitude, and the increase was inhibited by GF109203X. In addition, the drug caused a marked increase in the glutamate release from electrically stimulated guinea pig hippocampal slices, and the effect was abolished by the nicotinic ACh receptor antagonists, alpha-bungarotoxin and mecamylamine. Nefiracetam induced a long-lasting facilitation of synaptic transmission in both the CAI area and the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices, and the facilitation was inhibited by alpha-bungarotoxin and mecamylamine. Such facilitatory action was still found in the hippocampus with selective cholinergic denervation. The results of the present study, thus, suggest that nefiracetam enhances activity of nicotinic ACh receptors by interacting with a PKC pathway, thereby increasing glutamate release from presynaptic terminals, and then leading to a sustained facilitation of hippocampal neurotransmission. This may represent a cellular mechanism underlying the cognition-enhancing action of nefiracetam. The results also provide the possibility that nefiracetam could be developed as a promising therapeutic drug for senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
| Item Type: | Paper |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | nefiracetam anti-dementia drug nicotinic acetylcholine receptor protein kinase C glutamate release sustained facilitation hippocampal synaptic transmission PROTEIN-KINASE-C LONG-TERM-POTENTIATION CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM RAT-BRAIN ACETYLCHOLINE-RECEPTOR PARKINSONS DISEASES LOCALIZATION ALZHEIMERS BINDING CELLS |
| Subjects: | diseases & disorders > mental disorders > delirium dementia cognitive disorders diseases & disorders > mental disorders organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > hippocampus bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein receptor organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions > synaptic transmission |
| CSHL Authors: | |
| Communities: | CSHL labs > Enikopolov lab |
| Depositing User: | Matt Covey |
| Date: | August 2000 |
| Date Deposited: | 31 Jan 2014 20:38 |
| Last Modified: | 31 Jan 2014 20:38 |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/29351 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Administrator's edit/view item |