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B Potgieter

Publications and source records attributed to B Potgieter.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Melatonin plays a protective role in quinolinic acid-induced neurotoxicity in the rat hippocampus.

The neuroprotective effect of melatonin against the quinolinic acid-induced degeneration of rat hippocampal neurons was investigated. Three groups of rats were given intrahippocampal injections of either; saline, quinolinic acid or i.p. injections of melatonin prior to and after being injected with quinolinic acid. On the fifth day after the intrahippocampal injections the brains were removed and the hippocampi either sectioned and stained for microscopic examination or used in glutamate receptor binding studies. The results show that melatonin protects hippocampal neurons from quinolinic acid-induced neurodegeneration and partially prevents the decrease in glutamate receptor numbers caused by quinolinic acid. Thus, melatonin has the potential to reduce hippocampal neuronal damage induced by neurotoxins such as quinolinic acid.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Influence of estrogen levels on anticholinergic activity of tricyclic antidepressives.

Anticholinergic activity of a number of tricyclic antidepressives and nomifensine was demonstrated and their order of affinity for the cholinergic receptors of rat jejunum was determined. The influence of ethinyl estradiol and a conjugated estrogen product, Premarin on the binding of several tricyclic antidepressives to the hepatic mixed function oxidase system was investigated. The influence of these steroids on the metabolism of the antidepressives was evaluated and ethinyl estradiol was shown to have a marked influence on the metabolism of the antidepressives studied, while conjugated estrogens were shown to have little effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Studies of the pharmacology of a new antidepressant, S1694.

A new antidepressive drug, S1694, produces increased locomotor activity (LA) in mice, but less so than d-amphetamine. This effect is decreased by pimozide, phenoxybenzamine, as well as by pretreatment of the animals with reserpine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine methyl ester (H44/68). S1694 inhibits active dopamine (DA) uptake into rat striatal synaptosomes, but not noradrenaline (NA) uptake into rat hypothalamic synaptosomes, or serotonin (5-HT) uptake into rat midbrain synaptosomes, in the concentrations used. The inhibition of DA uptake appears tp be competitive and the inhibition constant estimated is 1,3 X 10(-6) M. In addition, S1694 releases DA in the same concentrations, and NA as well as 5HT at higher concentrations. It is concluded that S1694 activates LA primarily by inhibitionof DA re-uptake and DA release. The central DA system activation may be important in the antidepressive effect.

Animals↗