We have previously suggested that presynaptic M(2)-muscarinic receptors (M(2)R) are involved in the control of the time course of evoked acetylcholine release in the frog neuromuscular junction. The availability of knockout mice lacking functional M(2)R (M(2)-KO) enabled us to address this issue in a more direct way. Using the phrenic diaphragm preparation, we show that in wild-type (WT) mice e...

BACKGROUND Systemic inflammation may be associated with resistance to nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs, the mechanisms of which are, however, uncharacterized. The authors therefore investigated the pharmacodynamics of atracurium and its relation to the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and alpha1 -acid glycoprotein in a rat model of systemic inflammation. METHODS To ...

Background During the aging process, muscle atrophy and neuromuscular junction remodeling are inevitable. The present study aimed to clarify whether low-intensity aerobic exercise along with limb blood-flow restriction (BFR) could improve aging-induced muscle atrophy and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at the neuromuscular junction. Methods Forty-eight male Wistar rats, aged 23-24 ...

The majority of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at normally innervated neuromuscular junctions are stable, with a half-life averaging about 12 d in most rodent muscles. Following denervation, the AChRs turn over much more rapidly after a lag period. The mechanism by which motor nerves normally maintain stabilization of junctional AChRs is not yet known. In order to determine whether synaptic tr...

Evidence indicates that medial septum nicotinic receptors regulate cognitive process. Ghrelin is a gut hormone that regulates energy homeostasis. Ghrelin also is produced in brain and known to be involved in cognitive function. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of medial septal injection of ghrelin on morphine-induced memory impairment in rats. Also, the possible relationship...

Abstract At the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), postsynaptic ionotropic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) transduce a chemical signal released from cholinergic motor neuron into an electrical to induce muscle contraction. To identify regulators of function, we conducted genome-wide RNAi screen for genes required proper response levamisole, pharmacological agonist L-AChRs at Caenorhabditis elegans N...

An acute phase of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) occurs transiently early in the immune response of Lewis rats to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) when Bordetella pertussis is used as adjuvant. It is characterized by a destructive cellular attack directed at the postsynaptic membranes of muscle. Acute EAMG can be passively transferred to normal rats by IgG from serum o...