A novel agonist effect on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor exerted by the anticonvulsive drug Lamotrigine.

Biochim Biophys Acta

UNESCO Chair of Biophysics and Molecular Neurobiology and Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca, C.C. 857, B8000FWB Bahía Blanca, Argentina.

Published: October 2008

AI Article Synopsis

  • Lamotrigine (LTG) activates adult muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) by opening their channels without binding to traditional ACh-binding sites.
  • Studies using patch-clamp recordings and [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin-binding reveal that LTG induces a transition of AChR to its desensitized state even when traditional agonist sites are blocked.
  • LTG functions through a unique activation mechanism, distinct from full agonists, competitive antagonists, and allosterically-potentiating ligands.

Article Abstract

The anticonvulsive drug Lamotrigine (LTG) is found to activate adult muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR). Single-channel patch-clamp recordings showed that LTG (0.05-400 microM) applied alone is able to open AChR channels. [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin-binding studies further indicate that LTG does not bind to the canonical ACh-binding sites. Fluorescence experiments using the probe crystal violet demonstrate that LTG induces the transition from the resting state to the desensitized state of the AChR in the presence of excess alpha-bungarotoxin, that is, when the agonist site is blocked. Allosterically-potentiating ligands or the open-channel blocker QX-314 exhibited a behavior different from that of LTG. We conclude that LTG activates the AChR through a site that is different from those of full agonists/competitive antagonists and allosterically-potentiating ligands, respectively.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2008.06.012DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nicotinic acetylcholine
8
anticonvulsive drug
8
drug lamotrigine
8
allosterically-potentiating ligands
8
ltg
6
novel agonist
4
agonist nicotinic
4
acetylcholine receptor
4
receptor exerted
4
exerted anticonvulsive
4

Similar Publications

The stoichiometry of the α4β2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors determines the pharmacological properties of the neonicotinoids, and recently introduced butenolide and sulfoximine.

Neurotoxicology

January 2025

Laboratoire Physiologie, Ecologie and Environnement (P2E), Université d'Orléans, UR 1207, USC-INRAE 1328, 1 rue de Chartres, 45067 Orléans, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes 75005 Paris, France. Electronic address:

Although neonicotinoids were considered safe for mammals for many decades, recent research has proven that these insecticides can alter cholinergic functions by interacting with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (nAChRs). One such receptor is the heteromeric α4β2 nAChR, which exists under two different stoichiometries: high sensitivity and low sensitivity α4β2 nAChRs. To replace these insecticides, new classes of insecticides have been developed, such as, sulfoximine, sulfoxaflor, and the butanolide, flupyradifurone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits assemble to form functional receptors.

J Biol Chem

January 2025

School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. In mammals, there are 16 individual nAChR subunits allowing for numerous possible heteromeric compositions. nAChRs assembled from α7 or α9 subunits will form as homopentamers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Regulation of Dopamine Release by Tonic Activity Patterns in the Striatal Brain Slice.

ACS Chem Neurosci

January 2025

Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, United States.

Voluntary movement, motivation, and reinforcement learning depend on the activity of ventral midbrain neurons, which extend axons to release dopamine (DA) in the striatum. These neurons exhibit two patterns of action potential activity: low-frequency tonic activity that is intrinsically generated and superimposed high-frequency phasic bursts that are driven by synaptic inputs. acute striatal brain preparations are widely employed to study the regulation of evoked DA release but exhibit very different DA release kinetics than recordings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neuropathic pain, a challenging condition often associated with diabetes, trauma, or chemotherapy, impairs patients' quality of life. Current treatments often provide inconsistent relief and notable adverse effects, highlighting the urgent need for safer and more effective alternatives. This review investigates marine-derived bioactive compounds as potential novel therapies for neuropathic pain management.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Varenicline is an α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist with the highest therapeutic efficacy of any pharmacological smoking cessation aid and a 12-month cessation rate of 26%. Genetic variation may be associated with varenicline response, but to date no genome-wide association studies of varenicline response have been published.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the genetic contribution to varenicline effectiveness using two electronic health record-derived phenotypes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!