Xiangming Liu

In order to explore effect of electromagnetic radiation on learning and memory ability of hippocampus neuron in rats, the changes in discharge patterns and overall electrical activity of hippocampus neuron after electromagnetic radiation were observed. Rat neurons discharge was recorded with glass electrode extracellular recording technology and a polygraph respectively. Radiation frequency of electromagnetic wave was 900 MHZ and the power was 10 W/m2. In glass electrode extracellular recording, the rats were separately irradiated for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min, every points repeated 10 times and updated interval of 1h, observing the changes in neuron discharge and spontaneous discharge patterns after electromagnetic radiation. In polygraph recording experiments, irradiation group rats for five days a week, 6 hours per day, repeatedly for 10 weeks, memory electrical changes in control group and irradiation group rats when they were feeding were repeatedly monitored by the implanted electrodes, observing the changes in peak electric digits and the largest amplitude in hippocampal CA1 area, and taking some electromagnetic radiation sampling sequence for correlation analysis. (1) Electromagnetic radiation had an inhibitory role on discharge frequency of the hippocampus CA1 region neurons. After electromagnetic radiation, discharge frequency of the hippocampus CA1 region neurons was reduced, but the changes in scale was not obvious. (2) Electromagnetic radiation might change the spontaneous discharge patterns of hippocampus CA1 region neurons, which made the explosive discharge pattern increased obviously. (3) Peak potential total number within 5 min in irradiation group was significantly reduced, the largest amplitude was less than that of control group. (4) Using mathematical method to make the correlation analysis of the electromagnetic radiation sampling sequence, that of irradiation group was less than that of control group, indicating that there was a tending to be inhibitory connection between neurons in irradiation group after electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation may cause structure and function changes of transfer synaptic in global, make hippocampal CA1 area neurons change in the overall discharge characteristic and discharge patterns, thus lead to decrease in the ability of learning and memory.

ZD7288 has been widely used as a tool in the study of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (HCN channels), and to test the relationships between HCN channels and heart and brain function. ZD7288 is widely considered a selective blocker of HCN currents. Here we show that ZD7288 inhibits not only HCN channel currents, but also Na+ currents in DRG neurons and ZD7288 was confirmed to inhibit Na+ current in HEK293 cells transfected with Nav1.4 plasmids. Thus our findings challenge the view that ZD7288 is a selective blocker of HCN channels. Conclusions about the role of NCN channels in neuronal function should be re-evaluated if based exclusively on the effect of ZD7288.

Using patch clamp technique the effects of dragon's blood and its component loureirin B on tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channel currents in dorsal root ganglion cells were observed. The experimental data were simulated with Hodgkin-Huxley model and the corresponding parameters were estimated. In addition, computer-simulated neuron action potentials in the absence and presence of drugs were produced using Hodgkin-Huxley model. The results show that the conductance of tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channel was fitted with m3h model well, the half-activated potentials of the sodium channel in the presence of drugs were shifted to the depolarizing direction and the threshold intensity of the cells in the presence of drugs was increased. These results demonstrate that dragon's blood and loureirin B did not resemble the tetrodotoxin which inhibited tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channel currents completely. Perhaps the analgesic effects of dragon's blood were partly caused by loureirin B affecting the activation, blocking the action potential generation and interfering with the transmission of painful signals into the central nervous system.

To explore the modulation of Salvia miltiorrhiza on hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) channels in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons of rats and identify the mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza in alleviating pain and inhibiting calcium overload. Methods The effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza injection on Ih channels in DRG neurons of rats were examined by using whole-cell patch clamp technique. Results The experimental results showed that the amplitude of Ih evoked by -150 mV was (-1.06 +/- 0.18) nA. The Ih could be fitted well into the single kinetics and the time constant of activation, pi was clearly voltage-dependent with tau = (322.14 +/- 28.81) ms at -100 mV, decreasing to tau = (62.51 +/- 9.78) ms at -150 mV. The reversal potential of Ih was (-35.03 +/- 1.12) mV measured from tail currents. But no significant differences were found between the DRG neurons in the absence and presence of Salvia miltiorrhiza injection (10%, 25%, 50%) in the current amplitude, the time constant of activation and the reversal potential. The only difference between the DRG neurons in the absence and presence of Salvia miltiorrhiza injection was the half-activation potential of Ih. In control recordings the half-activation potential was (-106.07 +/- 3.59) mV. By comparison, the half-activation potentials changed to (-111.59 +/- 3.79) mV (n=31 neurons, P < 0.05), (-119.37 +/- 4.96) mV (n=31 neurons, P < 0.05) and (-121.23 +/- 3.86) mV (n=31 neurons, P < 0.05) in the presence of 10%, 25%, 50% Salvia miltiorrhiza injection, respectively. Only the half-activation potential of Ih in the arthritic and neuropathic rat models shifted in the depolarizing direction, which increased the electrophysiological activity of Ih and made it related to peripheral hyperalgesia. The selective inhibition of Salvia miltiorrhiza on the electrophysiological activity of Ih may be one of the mechanisms underlying its analgesic effects.

To study the effects of Injection Stauntoniae (IS) on voltage-gated sodium currents in dorsal root ganglion neurons and analyze its pharmacological mechanism of blocking the nerve conduction and anal gesic action. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed in acutely isolated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons and the effects of 10% , 25% and 50 % IS on voltage-gated sodium currents were observed. IS inhibited the peak sodium currents in dorsal root ganglion neurons in a dose-dependent way and affected the activation and inactivation process of the channels. The analgesic effect of IS was presumably caused by modulation of voltage-gated sodium channels in primary sensory neurons besides structure destruction of myelin sheath and axon membrane.

Using whole-cell patch clamp technique on the membrane of freshly isolated dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, the effects of dragon's blood resin and its important component loureirin B on tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) voltage-gated sodium currents were observed. The results show that both blood resin and loureirin B could suppress TTX-S voltage-gated sodium currents in a dose-dependent way. The peak current amplitudes and the steady-state activation and inactivation curves are also made to shift by 0.05% blood resin and 0.2 mmol/L loureirin B. These results demonstrate that the effects of blood resin on TTX-S sodium current may contribute to loureirin B in blood resin. Perhaps the analgesic effect of blood resin is caused partly by loureirin B directly interfering with the nociceptive transmission of primary sensory neurons.