BACKGROUND Choline is an important constituent of acetylcholine. Choline is needed for acetylcholine in the nonneuronal acetylcholine system that includes epithelial cells of the lung and intestine, endothelial cells, and immune cells. Plasma free choline concentrations are low in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), but the implications for acetylcholine are unknown. OBJECTIVE We determined t...

We have developed an array of assays for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding and function. [125I]alpha-Bungarotoxin-, (-)-[3H]nicotine-, and [3H]epibatidine-binding nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were assayed in mouse brain membranes and sections. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function was quantified using synaptosomal [3H]dopamine, [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid ([3H]GABA), and 86Rb(+)...

AIMS Concurrent use of ethanol and nicotine (tobacco) is often seen in human beings. In previous animal experiments, we have demonstrated that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, especially alpha-conotoxin MII and mecamylamine sensitive receptors located in the ventral tegmental area may be involved in the stimulatory, dopamine enhancing, and rewarding effects of ethanol in rodents. Ethanol may ...

The level of cytoplasmic calcium has been proposed to act as a regulator of acetylcholine receptor synthesis (Betz, H., and J. P. Changeaux (1979) Nature 278: 749-751). However, there is little known about the effect of altered calcium levels on the metabolism of the acetylcholine receptor. We have investigated the effect of decreased extracellular calcium on the metabolism of acetylcholine rec...

The hypotensive effect of garlic has been well-documented in human subjects and animals. Since endothelial activity regulates vascular reactivity in physiological and pathophysiological conditions, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of garlic on endothelium-dependent and independent relaxation of rat aorta for elucidation of mechanism of the garlic anti-hypertensive effe...

Conotoxin GI, a peptide neurotoxin contained in the venom of the marine snail Conus geographus, was applied to the cutaneous pectoris muscle of the frog, and the effects on the postsynaptic response to acetylcholine were examined. Conotoxin GI reversibly blocked nerve-evoked muscle contractions at concentrations greater than or equal to 3 to 4 microM. Micromolar concentrations of conotoxin GI s...

Bis(7)-tacrine is a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in which two tacrine molecules are linked by a heptylene chain. We tested the effects of bis(7)-tacrine on the spontaneous synaptic activity. Miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) were recorded extracellularly on slices of electric organ of Torpedo marmorata. Bis(7)-tacrine, at a concentration of 100 nM, increased the magnitudes that des...

Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system has been reported to have an antiarrhythmic role during ischemia–reperfusion injury by decreasing arrhythmia triggers. Furthermore, it was that neurotransmitter acetylcholine is able modulate ATP-dependent potassium current (I K-ATP ), a crucial activated hypoxia. However, possible significance this modulation in mechanism not fully clarified. Ac...