Modulating effect of dopamine on amplitude of GABA-produced chemocontrolled currents in multipolar spinal cord neurons of ammocaete

Abstract

By using the patch-clamp method in the whole cell configuration, modulating effect of dopamine on GABA-activated currents has been studied on isolated multipolar spinal cord neurons of the ammocaete (larva of the lamprey Lampetra planeri). At application of dopamine (5 microM), there was observed in some cases a decrease of the GABA-activated current, on average, by 33.3 +/- 8.7 (n = 8, p < 0.01), in other cases--an increase of the amplitude, on average, by 37.3 +/- 11.8% (n = 5, p < 0.01). Concentration of GABA amounted to 2 mM. Study of action of agonists of D1- and D2-receptors on amplitude of che-mocontrolled currents has shown that agonist of D1-receptors (+)-SKF-38393 (5 microM) decreases the GABA-activated current amplitude, on average, by 63.1 +/- 11.7% (n = 8, p < 0.01); the agonist of D2-receptors (-)-quinpirole (5 microM) produces in various cells the dopamine-like effects: an increase of the GABA-activated current amplitude, on average, by 61.0 +/- 13.8% (n = 8, p < 0.01) and a decrease of amplitude, on average, by 55.7 +/- 2.0 % (n = 6, p < 0.01). It has been shown that antagonist of D2-receptors sulpiride (5 microM) does not block effects produced by dopamine. The dopamine effects were partially blocked by antagonist of D1-receptors (+)-SCH-23390 (5 microM): a decrease of the GABA-activated amplitude current amounted, on average, to 11.7 +/- 1.8 % (n = 7, p < 0.01), while an increase of amplitude--8.3 +/- 2.0 % (n = 5,p < 0.01). At the same time, effects of agonist of D1-receptors quinpirole (5 microM) were partially blocked by antagonist of D1-receptors (+)-SCH-23390: a decrease of the GABA-activated current amplitude amounted, on average, to 9.2 +/- 3.4 % (n = 6, p < 0.01) and an increase of amplitude--6.3 +/- 1.8 % (n = 10, p < 0.01). The obtained data indicate differences of mechanisms of the receptor-mediated effect of agonists of dopamine receptors on GABA-activated and potential-activated currents of multipolar neurons of the ammocaete spinal cord.