Abstract
The objective of this study is to probe the effects of dopamine and potential interactions with nicotine at the motor end plate. To accomplish this, we measured the amplitude of nerve-evoked muscle twitches of the isolated rat phrenic hemi-diaphragm preparation. Dopamine potentiated indirect muscle twitches in normal and gallamine-presensitized preparations amounting to a maximum of 31.14±0.71% and 69.23±1.96%, respectively. The dopamine-induced facilitation was well maintained in presence of 10µM propranolol but greatly reduced in presence of 6µM SCH 23390 or 3µM dantrolene. In addition, SKF 81297 attained a plateau at 16µM as opposed to 64µM dopamine, with a percentage potentiation of 69.47±1.76. The facilitatory effect of dopamine was potentiated in nicotine treated rats. This study revealed for the first time that the facilitatory effect exerted by dopamine on neuromuscular transmission is mediated via the dopamine D1-like receptors. In addition, it highlighted the possible dependency of dopamine effects on intracellular calcium and signified potential interaction among dopamine and nicotine. Clinically, the findings generated by this study reveal potential targets for approaching motor deficit syndromes.
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