Abstract
Nanomaterials and relevant products are now being widely used in the world, and their safety becomes a great concern for the general public. Tungsten carbide nanoparticles (nano-WC) are widely used in metallurgy, aeronautics and astronautics, however our knowledge regarding the influence of nano-WC on neurons is still lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of nano-WC on tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive voltage-activated sodium current (INa) of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Results showed that acute exposure of nano-WC attenuated the peak amplitudes of INa in a concentration-dependent manner. The minimal effective concentration was 10−5g/ml. The exposure of nano-WC significantly decreased current amplitudes of the current–voltage curves of INa from −50 to+50mV, shifted the steady-state activation and inactivation curves of INa negatively and delayed the recovery of INa from inactivation state. After exposure to nano-WC, the peak amplitudes, overshoots and the V-thresholds of action potentials (APs) were markedly reduced. These results suggested that exposure of nano-WC could influence some characteristics of APs evoked from the hippocampal CA1 neurons by modifying the kinetics of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs).
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