RESUMO
Abstract We investigated whether coconut milk protein (CMP) contributes to the beneficial effects of coconut milk consumption on cardiovascular health markers previously found in middle-aged rats. CMP was isolated and precipitated from dried fresh coconut milk, then gavaged (1 g/kg) to middle-aged male rats for six weeks; control rats received distilled water. Compared to controls, CMP caused decreased body fat and lipid accumulation in liver cells and the platelet count. CMP did not affect basal blood pressure or heart rate in anesthetized rats. Vascular responsiveness to phenylephrine, DL-propargylglycine (PAG), acetylcholine or sodium nitroprusside was unaffected, but vasorelaxation to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) increased. Effects of ODQ on vasorelaxation to GTN were similar in both groups. Expression of blood vessel eNOS, CSE and sGC was normal. The cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) level of CMP-treated rats was normal but addition of GTN increased cGMP and NO concentration more in CMP-treated rats than in controls, an effect unaltered by addition of diadzin. Taken together, CMP appears partially responsible for the improvement in cardiovascular health markers caused by coconut milk in middle-aged male rats
Assuntos
Animais , Masculino , Ratos , Distribuição da Gordura Corporal/classificação , Alimentos de Coco , Contagem de Plaquetas/instrumentação , Vasos Sanguíneos/anormalidades , Acetilcolina/análogos & derivados , Nitroglicerina/agonistasRESUMO
Denervation of skeletal muscles induces severe muscle atrophy, which is preceded by cellular alterations such as increased plasma membrane permeability, reduced resting membrane potential and accelerated protein catabolism. The factors that induce these changes remain unknown. Conversely, functional recovery following denervation depends on successful reinnervation. Here, we show that activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) by quantal release of acetylcholine (ACh) from motoneurons is sufficient to prevent changes induced by denervation. Using in vitro assays, ACh and non-hydrolysable ACh analogs repressed the expression of connexin43 and connexin45 hemichannels, which promote muscle atrophy. In co-culture studies, connexin43/45 hemichannel knockout or knockdown increased innervation of muscle fibers by dorsal root ganglion neurons. Our results show that ACh released by motoneurons exerts a hitherto unknown function independent of myofiber contraction. nAChRs and connexin hemichannels are potential molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in a variety of pathological conditions with reduced synaptic neuromuscular transmission.
Assuntos
Acetilcolina/metabolismo , Gânglios Espinais/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Músculo Esquelético/inervação , Atrofia Muscular/patologia , Receptores Nicotínicos/metabolismo , Acetilcolina/análogos & derivados , Acetilcolina/farmacologia , Animais , Permeabilidade da Membrana Celular/fisiologia , Células Cultivadas , Conexina 43/metabolismo , Conexinas/metabolismo , Masculino , Potenciais da Membrana/fisiologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Transgênicos , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismoRESUMO
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), serotonin transporters (SERT) and dopamine transporters (DAT) represent targets for the development of novel nicotinic derivatives acting as multiligands associated with different health conditions, such as depressive, anxiety and addiction disorders. In the present work, a series of functionalized esters structurally related to acetylcholine and nicotine were synthesized and pharmacologically assayed with respect to these targets. The synthesized compounds were studied in radioligand binding assays at α4ß2 nAChR, h-SERT and h-DAT. SERT experiments showed not radioligand [3H]-paroxetine displacement, but rather an increase in the radioligand binding percentage at the central binding site was observed. Compound 20 showed Ki values of 1.008 ± 0.230 µM for h-DAT and 0.031 ± 0.006 µM for α4ß2 nAChR, and [3H]-paroxetine binding of 191.50% in h-SERT displacement studies, being the only compound displaying triple affinity. Compound 21 displayed Ki values of 0.113 ± 0.037 µM for α4ß2 nAChR and 0.075 ± 0.009 µM for h-DAT acting as a dual ligand. Molecular docking studies on homology models of α4ß2 nAChR, h-DAT and h-SERT suggested potential interactions among the compounds and agonist binding site at the α4/ß2 subunit interfaces of α4ß2 nAChR, central binding site of h-DAT and allosteric modulator effect in h-SERT.
Assuntos
Acetilcolina/análogos & derivados , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Dopamina/química , Nicotina/análogos & derivados , Receptores Nicotínicos/química , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Serotonina/química , Acetilcolina/agonistas , Acetilcolina/síntese química , Acetilcolina/química , Regulação Alostérica , Sítios de Ligação , Dopamina/química , Agonistas de Dopamina/química , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Dopamina/agonistas , Ésteres/química , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Ligantes , Simulação de Acoplamento Molecular , Nicotina/agonistas , Nicotina/síntese química , Nicotina/química , Agonistas Nicotínicos/química , Pirrolidinas/química , Ensaio Radioligante , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Serotonina/agonistas , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
The control of natural cell death is mediated by neurotrophins released by target, afferent and glial cells. In the present work we show that treatment of retinal cells 'in vitro' for 48 h with 25 microM carbamylcholine induced a two-fold increase in retinal ganglion cells survival. This effect was dose-dependent and mediated by M1 receptors since it could be blocked by 1 microM telenzepine (a M1 receptor antagonist) and mimicked by 200 microM oxotremorine (a M1 receptor agonist). The effect of carbamylcholine was abolished by 10 microM BAPTA-AM (an intracellular Ca2+ chelator), 30 microM dantrolene (an inhibitor of ryanodinic receptors), 500 nM H-89 (an inhibitor of PKA), 1.25 microM chelerythrine chloride (an inhibitor of PKC) and 50 microM PD-98059 (a MEK inhibitor). Treatment with 10 microM genistein (an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase), 25 microM LY-294002 (a PI-3 kinase blocker), 30 nM brefeldin-A (a blocker of polypeptides release), 50 nM K-252a (a Trk receptor inhibitor) and 20 microM fluorodeoxyuridine (an inhibitor of cell proliferation) totally inhibited the effect of carbamylcholine. Taken together our results indicate that muscarinic activity controls the survival of retinal ganglion cells through a mechanism involving the release of polypeptides and activation of Irk receptors.
Assuntos
Acetilcolina/metabolismo , Morte Celular/fisiologia , Sobrevivência Celular/fisiologia , Células Cultivadas/metabolismo , Fatores de Crescimento Neural/metabolismo , Canais de Potássio Corretores do Fluxo de Internalização , Receptores Muscarínicos/metabolismo , Células Ganglionares da Retina/metabolismo , Acetilcolina/agonistas , Acetilcolina/análogos & derivados , Animais , Animais Recém-Nascidos , Cálcio/metabolismo , Bloqueadores dos Canais de Cálcio/farmacologia , Carbacol/farmacologia , Morte Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Divisão Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Divisão Celular/fisiologia , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Cultivadas/citologia , Células Cultivadas/efeitos dos fármacos , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Agonistas Muscarínicos/farmacologia , Antagonistas Muscarínicos/farmacologia , Fatores de Crescimento Neural/efeitos dos fármacos , Canais de Potássio/efeitos dos fármacos , Canais de Potássio/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos Endogâmicos , Receptor Muscarínico M1 , Receptores Muscarínicos/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Ganglionares da Retina/citologia , Células Ganglionares da Retina/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
It was previously demonstrated that high concentrations of cholinergic agonists such as acetylcholine (ACh), carbamylcholine (CCh), suberyldicholine (SubCh) and spin-labelled acetylcholine (SL-ACh) displaced quinacrine from its high-affinity binding site located at the lipid-protein interface of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (Anas, H. R. and Johnson, D. A. (1995) Biochemistry, 34, 1589-1595). In order to account for the agonist self-inhibitory binding site which overlaps, at least partially, with the quinacrine binding site, we determined the partition coefficient (Kp) of these agonists relative to the local anaesthetic tetracaine in AChR native membranes from Torpedo californica electric organ by examining (1) the ability of tetracaine and SL-ACh to quench membrane-partitioned 1-pyrenedecanoic acid (C10-Py) monomer fluorescence, and (2) the ability of ACh, CCh and SubCh to induce an increase in the excimer/monomer ratio of C10-Py-labelled AChR membrane fluorescence. To further assess the differences in agonist accessibility to the quinacrine binding site, we calculated the agonist concentration in the lipid membrane (CM) at an external agonist concentration high enough to inhibit 50% of quinacrine binding (IC50), which in turn was obtained by agonist back titration of AChR-bound quinacrine. Initial experiments established that high agonist concentrations do not affect either transmembrane proton concentration equilibria (pH) of AChR membrane suspension or AChR-bound quinacrine fluorescence spectra. The agonist membrane partitioning experiments indicated relatively small (< or = 20) Kp values relative to tetracaine. These values follow the order: SL-ACh>SubCh>>CCh-ACh. A direct correlation was observed between Kp and the apparent inhibition constant (Ki) for agonists to displace AChR-bound quinacrine. Particularly, agonist with high KpS such as SL-ACh and SubCh showed low Ki values, and this relationship was opposite for CCh and ACh. The calculated CM values indicated significant (between 7 and 54 mM) agonist accessibility to lipid membrane. By themselves, these results support the conjecture that agonist self-inhibition seems to be mediated by the quinacrine binding site via a membrane approach mechanism. The existence of an agonist self-inhibitory binding site, not located in the channel lumen would indicate an allosteric mechanism of ion channel inhibition; however, we can not discard that the process of agonist self-inhibition can also be mediated by a steric blockage of the ion channel.