RESUMO
Amyloid ß peptide (Aß) is a key player in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is the primary component of senile plaques in AD patients and is also found in soluble forms. Cholinergic activity mediated by α7 nicotinic receptors has been shown to be affected by Aß soluble forms. To shed light into the molecular mechanism of this effect, we explored the direct actions of oligomeric Aß1-40 and Aß1-42 on human α7 by fluorescence spectroscopy and single-channel recordings. Fluorescence measurements using the conformational sensitive probe crystal violet (CrV) revealed that in the presence of Aß α7 undergoes concentration-dependent conformational changes. Exposure of α7 to 100 pM Aß changes CrV KD towards that of the desensitized state. However, α7 is still reactive to high carbamylcholine (Carb) concentrations. These observations are compatible with the induction of active/desensitized states as well as of a novel conformational state in the presence of both Aß and Carb. At 100 nM Aß, α7 adopts a resting-state-like structure which does not respond to Carb, suggesting stabilization of α7 in a blocked state. In real time, we found that Aß is capable of eliciting α7 channel activity either in the absence or presence of the positive allosteric modulator (PAM) PNU-120596. Activation by Aß is favored at picomolar or low nanomolar concentrations and is not detected at micromolar concentrations. At high Aß concentrations, the mean duration of activation episodes elicited by ACh in the presence of PNU-120596 is significantly reduced, an effect compatible with slow open-channel block. We conclude that Aß directly affects α7 function by acting as an agonist and a negative modulator. Whereas the capability of low concentrations of Aß to activate α7 could be beneficial, the reduced α7 activity in the presence of higher Aß concentrations or its long exposure may contribute to the cholinergic signaling deficit and may be involved in the initiation and development of AD.
RESUMO
1,8-Cineole is a cyclic monoterpenoid used in folk medicine for treatment of numerous respiratory diseases and other infections. 1,8-Cineole has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and myorelaxant effects, as well as low toxicity. In the present study, the effects of 1,8-cineole on contractility and voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) in tracheal smooth muscle were investigated. Intact and dissociated tracheal smooth muscle were used for muscle contraction and patch-clamp recordings, respectively. In experiments involving muscle contraction, 1,8-cineole potentiated contractions at low concentrations and relaxed contractions induced by isotonic K+ at high concentrations. AMTB (a TRPM8 channel blocker) reduced the potentiation induced by 1,8-cineole while indomethacin (a COX inhibitor) did not block this effect. In dissociated myocytes, 1,8-cineole partially blocked Ba2+ currents through VGCC in a concentration-dependent manner. 1,8-Cineole shifted the steady-state activation and inactivation curves to the left and also reduced the current decay time constant. In conclusion, 1,8-cineole has a dual effect on tracheal smooth muscle contraction resulting in a biphasic effect. Our data suggest that the potentiation effect is mediated by activation of TRPM8 channels and the relaxation effect is mediated by the blockage of L-type VGCC.