Abstract
The actions of melatonin on high-voltage activated calcium channels (HVACC) and intracellular free Ca 2+ concentration in cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones from neonatal rats were investigated using the whole-cell patch clamp and the fura-2 fluorescence ratio Ca 2+-imaging techniques. HVACC were pharmacologically and biophysically isolated and the effects of melatonin were investigated. Extracellular application of melatonin inhibited HVACC in a dose dependent manner. In calcium imaging experiments, application of extracellular recording medium containing 30 mM KCl evoked increases in intracellular free Ca 2+ that were dependent upon external Ca 2+ ions. This increase was prevented by both low (10 μM) and high dose (100 μM) of melatonin pre-treatment. The results of this study indicate that the pineal hormone melatonin has inhibitory actions on voltage dependent calcium entry in cultured rat DRG neurones.
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