期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:1979
卷号:76
期号:4
页码:2062-2066
DOI:10.1073/pnas.76.4.2062
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:Avermectin B1a, a macrocyclic lactone with broad spectrum anthelmintic activity, affects neuromuscular transmission in the lobster stretcher muscle. Perfusion of the muscle with 1-10 microgram of the drug per ml eliminates inhibitory postsynaptic potentials within a few minutes. Intracellularly recorded excitatory postsynaptic potentials are gradually reduced in amplitude over 20-30 min, and their falling phases become faster; there is no effect, however, on extracellularly recorded excitatory potentials. Avermectin B1a reduced the input resistance of the muscle fibers with a time course similar to that of the reduction of excitatory potentials. Washing for up to 2 hr with drug-free solution fails to reverse the drug's effects. However, perfusion with 20 microgram of picrotoxin per ml results in recovery of the excitatory potentials and input resistance. Avermectin B1a also blocks the firing of the crayfish stretch receptor neuron, and this block is also reversed by picrotoxin. We hypothesize that the reduction in excitatory postsynaptic potentials after avermectin B1a treatment is caused solely by reduction in membrane resistance; additional experiments suggest that the reduction in membrane resistance is due to the opening of membrane Cl- channels, perhaps including those regulated by gamma-aminobutyric acid at the inhibitory synapse.