The effects of the alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonists clonidine and rilmenidine, and antagonists yohimbine and efaroxan, on the spinal cholinergic receptor system in the rat

• Cholinergic agonists produce spinal antinociception via mechanisms involving an increased release of intraspinalacetylcholine. The cholinergic receptor system interacts with several other receptor types, such as a2-adrenergic receptors.To fully understand these interactions, the effects of various receptor ligands on the cholinergic system must be investigatedin detail. This study was initiated to investigate the effects of the a2-adrenergic receptor agonists clonidine and rilmenidineand the a2-adrenergic receptor antagonists yohimbine and efaroxan on spinal cholinergic receptors in the rat. Spinalmicrodialysis was used to measure in vivo changes of acetylcholine after administration of the ligands, with or withoutnicotinic receptor blockade. In addition, in vitro binding properties of the ligands on muscarinic and nicotinic receptorswere investigated. It was found that clonidine and rilmenidine increased, while yohimbine decreased spinal acetylcholinerelease. Efaroxan affected acetylcholine release differently depending on concentration. Nicotinic receptor blockade atten-uated the effect of all ligands. All ligands showed poor binding affinity for muscarinic receptors. On the other hand, allligands possessed affinity for nicotinic receptors. Clonidine and yohimbine binding was best fit to a one site binding curveand rilmenidine and efaroxan to a two site binding curve. The present study demonstrates that the tested a2-adrenergicreceptor ligands affect intraspinal acetylcholine release in the rat evoked by nicotinic receptor mechanisms in vivo, andthat they possess binding affinity to nicotinic receptors in vitro. The binding of a2-adrenergic receptor ligands to nicotinicreceptors might affect the intraspinal release of acetylcholine.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinsk bioteknologi -- Biomedicinsk laboratorievetenskap/teknologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Medical Biotechnology -- Biomedical Laboratory Science/Technology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Laboratory animal science

Försöksdjursvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)