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Molecular Pharmacology

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Research ArticleArticle

Modulation of Presynaptic β3-Containing GABAA Receptors Limits the Immobilizing Actions of GABAergic Anesthetics

Christian Grasshoff, Rachel Jurd, Uwe Rudolph and Bernd Antkowiak
Molecular Pharmacology September 2007, 72 (3) 780-787; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.107.037648
Christian Grasshoff
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Rachel Jurd
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Uwe Rudolph
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Bernd Antkowiak
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Abstract

Intravenous GABAergic anesthetics are potent hypnotics but are rather ineffective in depressing movements. Immobility is mediated, in part, by the ventral horn of the spinal cord. We hypothesized that the efficacy of these anesthetics in producing immobility is compromised by the activation of GABAA receptors located presynaptically, which modulate GABA release onto neurons in the ventral horn. Because anesthetics acting by modulation of GABAA receptor function require GABA to be present at its binding site, a decrease in GABA release would abate their efficacy in reducing neuronal excitability. Here we report that in organotypic spinal cord slices, the efficacy of the intravenous anesthetic etomidate to depress network activity of ventral horn neurons is limited to approximately 60% at concentrations greater than 1 μM that produce immobility. Depression of spinal network activity was almost abolished in spinal slices from β3(N265M) knock-in mice. In the wild type, etomidate prolonged decay times of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) and concomitantly reduced the frequency of action potential-dependent IPSCs. Etomidate prolonged the decay time of GABAA receptors at all tested concentrations. At concentrations greater than 1.0 μM, anesthetic-induced decrease of GABA release via modulation of presynaptic GABAA receptors and enhancement of postsynaptic GABAA receptor-function compensated for each other. The results suggest that the limited immobilizing efficacy of these agents is probably due to a presynaptic mechanism and that GABAergic agents with a specificity for post-versus presynaptic receptors would probably have much stronger immobilizing actions, pointing out novel avenues for drug development.

Footnotes

  • Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org.

  • doi:10.1124/mol.107.037648.

  • ABBREVIATIONS: ACSF, artificial cerebrospinal fluid, APV, dl-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid; CNQX, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; IPSC, inhibitory postsynaptic current; mIPSC, miniature inhibitory postsynaptic current; sIPSC, spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic current.

    • Received May 1, 2007.
    • Accepted June 21, 2007.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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Molecular Pharmacology: 72 (3)
Molecular Pharmacology
Vol. 72, Issue 3
1 Sep 2007
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Research ArticleArticle

Modulation of Presynaptic β3-Containing GABAA Receptors Limits the Immobilizing Actions of GABAergic Anesthetics

Christian Grasshoff, Rachel Jurd, Uwe Rudolph and Bernd Antkowiak
Molecular Pharmacology September 1, 2007, 72 (3) 780-787; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.107.037648

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Research ArticleArticle

Modulation of Presynaptic β3-Containing GABAA Receptors Limits the Immobilizing Actions of GABAergic Anesthetics

Christian Grasshoff, Rachel Jurd, Uwe Rudolph and Bernd Antkowiak
Molecular Pharmacology September 1, 2007, 72 (3) 780-787; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.107.037648
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