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S Fidone

Publications and source records attributed to S Fidone.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

The role of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels in stimulus-evoked catecholamine release from chemoreceptor cells of the carotid body.

The present study utilized an in vitro preparation of the rabbit carotid body, with tissue catecholamine stores labeled by incubation with 3H-tyrosine. The goal was to characterize pharmacologically the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels present in the type I (glomus) cells of this arterial chemoreceptor organ, and to elucidate their role as pathways for Ca2+ entry. We found that release of 3H-dopamine induced by high external potassium was over 95% dependent on external calcium concentration and that this release was 90-100% inhibited by the dihydropyridine antagonists, nisoldipine and nitrendipine, and was potentiated by the dihydropyridine agonist, BayK 8644. Therefore, any stimulus-induced, calcium-dependent release of 3H-dopamine that was inhibited by nisoldipine and potentiated by BayK 8644, was considered to be supported by Ca2+ entry into the cells via voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Significant differences were observed in the release of 3H-dopamine induced by 75 vs 25 mM K+. On prolonged stimulation, release induced by 75 mM K+ was large and transient, whilst that induced by 25 mM K+, although more moderate, was sustained. The release elicited by 75 mM K+ was inhibited approximately 90% by 1.5 mM Co2+ or 625 nM nisoldipine, while release by 25 mM K+ was completely blocked by 0.6 mM Co2+ or 125 nM nisoldipine. Low PO2-induced release of 3H-dopamine was 95% dependent on Ca2+, and was inhibited by nisoldipine (625 nM) in a manner inversely proportional to the intensity of hypoxic stimulation, i.e. 79% inhibition at a PO2 of 49 Torr, and 20% inhibition at PO2 of 0 Torr. BayK 8644 potentiated the release induced by moderate hypoxic stimuli. Release elicited by high PCO2/low pH, or by Na(+)-propionate or dinitrophenol-containing solutions, was approximately 80% Ca(2+)-dependent, and the dihydropyridines failed to modify this release. It is concluded that type I cells possess voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels sensitive to the dihydropyridines, which in agreement with previous electrophysiological data should be defined as L-type Ca2+ channels. Calcium entry which supports the release of 3H-dopamine elicited by moderate hypoxia should occur mainly through these channels while the release induced by strong hypoxic stimuli will be served by Ca2+ entry which occurs in part via voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, and in part through an additional pathway, probably a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals

The role of cyclic AMP in chemoreception in the rabbit carotid body.

The present study identified physiological factors which influence the generation (and degradation) of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in the arterial chemoreceptor tissue of the mammalian carotid body. Experiments established a 3-way correlation between cAMP generation, neurotransmitter release from chemoreceptor cells, and carotid sinus nerve (CSN) activity. Incubation of carotid bodies in vitro for 10 min in media equilibrated with different low O2 ('hypoxic') gas mixtures (5% O2 or 10% O2, balance N2) elevated basal cAMP levels (100% O2 media) in proportion to the stimulus intensity. Similar experiments using nodose sensory ganglia showed that low O2 stimulation did not alter cAMP levels in this non-chemosensory tissue. However, the adenylate cyclase (AC) activator, forskolin (10 microM), evoked large increases in the cyclic nucleotide content in both carotid bodies and nodose ganglia. After chronic (10 days) CSN denervation or sympathectomy, the basal levels of cAMP in the carotid body were elevated; the cAMP response to low O2 media (stimulus minus control) was increased after CSN denervation but remained unaltered after sympathectomy. The effects of zero Ca2+ media on cAMP generation was examined in order to assess whether feedback from released neurotransmitters acting on known (presynaptic) type I cell receptors could have contributed to the observed changes in cAMP. Basal levels of cAMP were increased 2.8-fold, and the response to hypoxic stimulation was elevated 5-fold, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Forskolin (10 microM) did not alter basal release of [3H]-catecholamines ([3H]CA; synthesized from [3H]tyrosine), or resting CSN discharge; however, stimulus-evoked [3H]CA release and CSN discharge were potentiated in the presence of forskolin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid

Metabolic activation of carotid body glomus cells by hypoxia.

The effects of low O2 on glucose consumption in the rabbit carotid body were studied using the in vitro 2-deoxyglucose technique. Metabolically active structures within the tissue were localized autoradiographically after freeze-drying and vacuum fixation/embedding of selected incubated tissue samples. In 100% O2-equilibrated media, the mean basal glucose consumption calculated from the rate of 2-[1,2-3H]deoxy-D-glucose phosphorylation and its specific activity in the incubation media was 61 nmol.g tissue-1.min-1 in the carotid body and 42 nmol.g tissue-1.min-1 in parallel experiments with nodose ganglia. Low PO2 (20% O2-equilibrated media in vitro) increased glucose consumption in the carotid body by 44% but did not alter glucose metabolism of nodose ganglia. Autoradiographic data showed that preneural type I parenchymal cells are the principal site of glucose consumption in carotid chemosensory tissue. The mechanisms responsible for the hypoxia-induced increase in glucose consumption by the type I cells are discussed in relation to sensory transduction by the carotid body chemoreceptors.

Animals

Carotid sinus nerve C-fibers release catecholamines from the cat carotid body.

Previous studies have demonstrated that unmyelinated fibers in the cat carotid sinus nerve (CSN) are capable of inhibiting chemoreceptor activity from the carotid body. While the mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon are unknown, it has been postulated that carotid body catecholamines may be involved in mediating this inhibitory effect. In this study, the in vitro cat carotid body-CSN preparation was used to investigate the effects of CSN stimulation on the release of [3H]catecholamines from the carotid body. The results showed that labeled catecholamines were released from this organ only when C-fibers were recruited by nerve stimulation.

Action Potentials

Synthesis and release of catecholamines by the cat carotid body in vitro: effects of hypoxic stimulation.

The role of catecholamines (CAs) in cat carotid body chemoreception has been controversial. On the basis of pharmacological experiments, it would appear that endogenous dopamine (DA) may act either as an inhibitory or excitatory transmitter. Neurochemical studies on the effects of natural stimulation on the release of carotid body CAs in the cat have also been inconclusive. In the present study, we have characterized the synthesis and release of CAs in the in vitro cat carotid body preparation in response to different levels of hypoxic stimulation and have correlated these measures with the chemosensory activity of the carotid sinus nerve. The synthesis of [3H]DA and [3H]norepinephrine was linear for at least 4 h in carotid bodies incubated with their natural precursor [3H]tyrosine. Synthesis of both [3H]CAs plateaued when the [3H]tyrosine concentration in the media reached 40 microM, which is a concentration similar to that found in cat plasma. Exposure of the animals to an atmosphere of 10% O2 in N2 for 3 h prior to removal and incubation of the carotid bodies with [3H]tyrosine resulted in an approximately 100% increase in the rate of [3H]DA synthesis but no change in [3H]norepinephrine synthesis. This selective increase in [3H]DA synthesis was not detected when [3H]dihydroxyphenylalanine was used as precursor. Carotid bodies first incubated with [3H]tyrosine and later superfused with solutions equilibrated with different gas mixtures (0-100% O2 in N2) exhibited an increase in [3H]DA release and carotid sinus nerve discharge which were inversely related to the oxygen concentration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Localization and function of cat carotid body nicotinic receptors.

Acetylcholine and nicotinic agents excite cat carotid body chemoreceptors and modify their response to natural stimuli. The present experiments utilized [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin [( 125I]alpha-BGT) to localize within the chemosensory tissue the possible sites of action of exogenous and endogenous nicotinic cholinergic substances. In vitro equilibrium binding studies of intact carotid bodies determined a Kd of 5.57 nM and a Bmax of 9.21 pmol/g of tissue. Chronic section (12-15 days) of the carotid sinus nerve (CSN) did not change the amount of displaceable toxin binding. In contrast, the specific binding was reduced by 46% following removal of the superior cervical ganglion. Light microscope autoradiography of normal, CSN-denervated and sympathectomized carotid bodies revealed displaceable binding sites concentrated in lobules of type I and type II cells. Treatment of carotid bodies with 50 nM alpha-BGT in vitro reduced by 50% the release of [3H]dopamine (synthesized from [3H]tyrosine) caused by hypoxia or nicotine, and also significantly reduced the stimulus-evoked discharges recorded from the CSN. The data suggest an absence of alpha-BGT binding sites on the afferent terminals of the CSN and that nicotinic receptors located with parenchymal cell lobules may modulate the release of catecholamines from these cells.

Animals

Physiological chemoreceptor stimulation decreases enkephalin and substance P in the carotid body.

Neuroactive peptides, including the enkephalins (Met- and Leu-enkephalin; ME, LE) and substance P (SP) are known to be present in the mammalian carotid body, an arterial chemoreceptor organ sensitive to the O2, CO2 and pH levels in blood. The principal parenchymal (type I) cells of the organ, which receive sensory innervation from the carotid sinus nerve (CSN), have been shown to contain both ME and SP; SP is also present in CSN afferent fibers. In the present study, rabbits were exposed in a chamber to a physiological chemoreceptor stimulus (5% O2 in N2) for one hour, then anesthetized during surgical removal of both carotid bodies for later RIA measurement of ME and SP levels in the tissue; control animals were exposed to air in the chamber, but otherwise treated as the hypoxic animals. Both ME and SP levels were significantly reduced (approximately 40%) in the carotid bodies from hypoxic rabbits, compared to their normoxic controls. The results suggest that these neuroactive peptides are released from carotid body elements during physiological stimulation, and consequently may play a role in the transduction of chemosensory information between the type I cells and their apposed afferent terminals.

Anaerobiosis

Nicotinic versus muscarinic binding sites in cat and rabbit carotid bodies.

It has been suggested that acetylcholine (ACh) might play an important role in carotid body chemoreception. However, a unified explanation of the actions of ACh in this organ has been lacking, due in part to the opposite pharmacological effects of this agent on carotid sinus nerve discharge in different animal species, most notably the cat, where ACh is excitatory, versus the rabbit, where it is inhibitory. In the present study, we utilized receptor binding techniques to compare the nicotinic and muscarinic receptor populations in the carotid bodies of these two species. Our results with the nicotinic ligand 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin and the muscarinic ligand 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate suggest that nicotinic receptors predominate in the cat by a ratio of 2:1, while in the rabbit, a 12:1 ratio favors muscarinic receptors. Our data suggest that the relative numbers of muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in the carotid bodies of these two species determine the excitatory or inhibitory actions of exogenously administered ACh in this chemoreceptor organ.

Acetylcholine