Biomedical subjects

G Ebinger

Publications and source records attributed to G Ebinger.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1997

Impairment of smooth pursuit in pontine lesions: functional topography based on MRI and neuropathologic findings.

Eye movements were studied in two patients with pontine lesions identified by magnetic resonance imaging in one patient and computerized tomography, with neuropathological correlation in another patient. Impairment of ipsilateral saccades were explained by unilateral lesion of the paramedian pontine reticular formation. Ipsilateral dorsolateral and lateral pontine nuclei lesions results in unilateral impairment of smooth pursuit. Bilateral damage to the dorsomedian pontine nuclei result in bidirectional horizontal smooth pursuit deficit, predominantly towards the more pathologic affected side. In addition, these bilateral lesions may also account for impairment of vertical smooth pursuit. These findings confirm that pontine nuclei are an important relay for horizontal and vertical smooth pursuit movements.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Effectiveness of vigabatrin against focally evoked pilocarpine-induced seizures and concomitant changes in extracellular hippocampal and cerebellar glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid and dopamine levels, a microdialysis-electrocorticography study in freely moving rats.

Limbic seizures were evoked in freely moving rats by intrahippocampal administration of the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine via the microdialysis probe (10 mM for 40 min at 2 microl/min). This study monitored changes in extracellular hippocampal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and dopamine levels after systemic (30 mg/kg/day) or local (intrahippocampal or intranigral, 5 mM or 600 microM for 180 min at 2 microl/min) vigabatrin administration, and evaluated the effectiveness of this antiepileptic drug against pilocarpine-induced seizure activity. Extracellular GABA and glutamate overflow in the ipsilateral cerebellum was studied simultaneously. Microdialysis was used as an in vivo sampling technique and as a drug-delivery tool. Electrophysiological evidence for the presence or absence of seizures was recorded with electrocorticography. The observed alterations in extracellular hippocampal amino acid levels support the hypothesis that muscarinic receptor stimulation by the intrahippocampal administration of 10 mM pilocarpine is responsible for the seizure onset, and that the amino acids maintain the sustained seizure activity. The focally evoked pilocarpine-induced seizures were completely prevented by intraperitoneal vigabatrin premedication for 7 days or by a single intraperitoneal injection. Effective protection was reflected in a lack of sustained elevations of hippocampal glutamate levels. Rats receiving vigabatrin intrahippocampally or intranigrally still developed seizures, although there appeared to be a partial protective effect. During the intrahippocampal perfusion with 5 mM vigabatrin, extracellular hippocampal GABA levels increased, whereas the extracellular glutamate and dopamine overflow decreased. The lack of a complete neuroprotection after local vigabatrin treatment is discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Effects of tryptophan and/or acute running on extracellular 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels in the hippocampus of food-deprived rats.

The present microdialysis study has examined whether exercise-elicited increases in brain tryptophan availability (and in turn 5-HT synthesis) alter 5-HT release in the hippocampus of food-deprived rats. To this end, we compared the respective effects of acute exercise, administration of tryptophan, and the combination of both treatments, upon extracellular 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels. All rats were trained to run on a treadmill before implantation of the microdialysis probe and 24 h of food deprivation. Acute exercise (12 m/min for 1 h) increased in a time-dependent manner extracellular 5-HT levels (maximal increase: 47%), these levels returning to their baseline levels within the first hour of the recovery period. Besides, exercise-induced increases in extracellular 5-HIAA levels did not reach significance. Acute administration of a tryptophan dose (50 mg/kg i.p.) that increased extracellular 5-HIAA (but not 5-HT) levels in fed rats, increased within 60 min extracellular 5-HT levels (maximal increase: 55%) in food-deprived rats. Whereas 5-HT levels returned toward their baseline levels within the 160 min that followed tryptophan administration, extracellular 5-HIAA levels rose throughout the experiment (maximal increase: 75%). Lastly, treatment with tryptophan (60 min beforehand) before acute exercise led to marked increases in extracellular 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels (maximal increases: 100% and 83%, respectively) throughout the 240 min that followed tryptophan administration. This study indicates that exercise stimulates 5-HT release in the hippocampus of fasted rats, and that a pretreatment with tryptophan (at a dose increasing extracellular 5-HT levels) amplifies exercise-induced 5-HT release.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Redox cycling activity of monoamine-serotonin binding protein conjugates.

It has been shown recently that the covalent binding of labelled dopamine and serotonin to serotonin binding proteins (SBP) from bovine frontal cortex is potently inhibited by their related neurotoxins. The present study reveals that the monoamine-SBP conjugates of serotonin, dopamine, and related toxins are able to catalyse redox cycling reactions. Using an improved method to detect quinoproteins in SDS-PAGE gels, we were also able to demonstrate that the redox cycling activity corresponded to two major protein components with molecular weights of 45 and 56 kDa. The covalent monoamine-SBP conjugates may be referred to as "artificial quinoproteins."

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Levodopa biotransformation in hemi-Parkinson rats: effect of dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists.

We investigated the effects of continuous perfusion of dopamine D1 and D2 receptor agonists and antagonists on the biotransformation of locally applied levodopa (L-DOPA) to dopamine in the striatum of freely moving hemi-Parkinson rats by means of in vivo microdialysis. The extent of the lesion was shown to influence dopamine formation after L-DOPA administration. In partially denervated striatum there was a more 'physiological' conversion, whereas in extensively denervated striatum extracellular dopamine increased to excessively high levels after L-DOPA. The dopamine D2 receptor agonist quinpirole (10 mu M) attenuated the L-DOPA-induced (2 mu M) dopamine release in intact, partially denervated and extensively denervated striatum. The dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (R(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-(1H)-3- benzazepine hydrochloride) (10 mu M) caused effects similar to those of quinpirole. However, in intact striatum it acted as the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist (-)-sulpiride and the dopamine D1 receptor agonist CY 208243 (((-),4,6,6a,7,8,12b-hexahydro-7-methyl-indolo-(4,3-ab) phenanthoridine), showing no effect on L-DOPA biotransformation. The data suggest that dopamine D2 receptor agonists and possibly dopamine D1 receptor antagonists will be beneficial in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, probably by keeping extracellular levels of dopamine at more 'physiological' levels. This may enable a reduction of L-DOPA doses and therefore may prevent dyskinesias at a later stage of the disease.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Extracellular striatal dopamine and glutamate after decortication and kainate receptor stimulation, as measured by microdialysis.

Disruption of corticostriatal glutamate input in the striatum decreased significantly extracellular striatal glutamate and dopamine levels. Local administration of 300 microM concentration of excitatory receptor agonist kainic acid increased significantly extracellular striatal dopamine in intact freely moving rats. These findings support the hypothesis that glutamate exerts a tonic facilitatory effect on striatal dopamine release. The effect of kainic acid on extracellular striatal glutamate concentration in intact rats was a biphasic increase. The first glutamate increase can be explained by stimulation of presynaptic kainate receptors present on corticostriatal glutamatergic nerve terminals; the second increase is probably the result of a continuous interaction of the different striatal neurotransmitters after disturbance of their balance. Release of dopamine and glutamate was modulated differently in the intact striatum and in the striatum deprived of corticostriatal input. Dopamine release in the denervated striatum after kainate receptor stimulation was significantly lower than in intact striatum, confirming the so-called cooperativity between glutamate and kainic acid. Loss of presynaptic kainate receptors on the glutamatergic nerve terminals after decortication resulted in a loss of effect of kainic acid on glutamate release in denervated striatum. Aspartate showed no significant changes in this study.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Liquid chromatographic assay using a microcolumn coupled to a U-shaped optical cell for high-sensitivity ultraviolet absorbance detection of oxcarbazepine and its major metabolite in microdialysates.

An isocratic LC assay using a microcolumn (800 microns I.D.) coupled to a U-shaped optical flow cell (cell volume 70 nl; optical path length 8 mm) for high-sensitivity UV absorbance is described for the detection of oxcarbazepine and its major and active metabolite, 10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxycarbamazepine in microdialysates. Using the combination microcolumn-capillary UV detector, a ten-fold increase in sensitivity was obtained resulting in a limit of detection of 10 pg/10 microliters. This assay is sufficiently sensitive to allow quantification of drug and metabolite in 10-microliters aliquots of rat blood and hippocampus microdialysates, using carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide as external standard.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Tonic GABA-ergic modulation of striatal dopamine release studied by in vivo microdialysis in the freely moving rat.

GABAA and GABAB receptor agonists and antagonists were administered locally in the striatum of intact and kainic acid lesioned rats. (+/-)-Baclofen, a GABAB receptor agonist, significantly decreased the level of extracellular dopamine in the striatum of intact rats. (+/-)-Phaclofen, a GABAB receptor antagonist, increased the level of extracellular dopamine in the striatum of intact rats and to a lesser extent in the striatum after kainic acid lesion. Pregnanolone (5 beta-pregnan-3 alpha-ol-20-one), a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor, significantly decreased the level of extracellular dopamine in intact rats. (-)-Bicuculline, a GABAB receptor antagonist, increased the level of extracellular dopamine in the striatum of intact rats, but failed to increase the level of extracellular dopamine after kainic acid lesion. The release of extracellular dopamine, due to infusion of phaclofen or bicuculline, was totally suppressed by tetrodotoxin. These results support a direct influence of GABA on the dopaminergic terminals via presynaptic GABAB receptors, while the effects via the GABAA receptor seem to be postsynaptic and mediated by striatal interneurons or the striatonigral feedback loop.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

PubMed1995

Fe(2+)-mediated binding of serotonin and dopamine to skeletal muscle actin: resemblance to serotonin binding proteins.

Fe2+ stimulates the binding of [3H]serotonin and [3H]dopamine to rabbit skeletal muscle actin. This binding is inhibited by reducing agents (sodium ascorbate, vitamin E), by superoxide dismutase and by sulfhydryl group-modifying reagents (N-ethyl-maleimide, 2,2'-dinitro-5,5'-dithiobenzoic acid). The effect of Fe2+ is mimicked by oxidants (sodium periodate, potassium nitroso-disulfonate) and by superoxide radicals. Once formed, the binding cannot be decreased by a large excess of monoamine. It is proposed that Fe2+ catalyses the autoxidation of the monoamines by generating oxygen free radicals, and the oxidation products are likely to bind covalently to exposed cysteine residues of actin. Digestion of [3H]dopamine-labelled actin by cyanogen bromide and then by V8 protease (EC3.4.21.19) yields two labelled peptides whose apparent molecular weights (4.1 and 1.2 kDa) are compatible with the labelling of cysteine-10 and -374. Fe2+ also inactivates some of the binding sites on actin. This inactivation, and the covalent nature of the binding precludes the interpretation of monoamine saturation and competition binding data in terms of reversible bimolecular interactions.

Actins↗

PubMed1995

The analysis of excitatory, inhibitory and other amino acids in rat brain microdialysates using microbore liquid chromatography.

Three microbore liquid chromatography (LC) assays for determination of amino acids in rat brain dialysates are described: one for separation of amino acids by gradient elution and electrochemical detection, one for analysis of GABA by isocratic elution and electrochemical detection, and one for fast measurement of glutamate and aspartate by gradient elution and fluorescence detection. The assays are reliable, reproducible and sensitive. In comparison with conventional LC, a 5-fold increase in sensitivity was obtained for GABA. Optimization of the derivatization chemistry and the microbore LC system are discussed, as well as important practical aspects.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1995

Manganese and copper promote the binding of dopamine to "serotonin binding proteins" in bovine frontal cortex.

The authors previously reported that Fe2+ is capable of increasing the binding of dopamine and of serotonin to "serotonin binding proteins" which are present in soluble extracts from calf brain. In this study, it is shown that Mn2+ and Cu2+ are also capable of increasing the binding, but for dopamine only. As for Fe2+, Mn2+ and Cu2+ are likely to promote the binding by virtue of their ability to enhance the oxidation of dopamine into dopamine-O-quinone, a derivative which is known to undergo covalent association with sulfhydryl groups of proteins. Data such as the irreversible nature of the majority of the binding, the inhibitory action of reducing agents (sodium ascorbate) and of reagents which contain, or modify sulfhydryl groups (reduced glutathione) are compatible with such a mechanism. The three metal ions are also capable of inactivating part of the binding sites on SBP directly; this effect is more pronounced for Cu2+ than for Fe2+ and it is only weak for Mn2+. The Fe(2+)-mediated binding of dopamine is inhibited by the superoxide dismutase enzyme, and it was therefore suggested that Fe2+ enhances the oxidation of dopamine by virtue of its ability to produce superoxide radicals out of dissolved molecular oxygen. Such a mechanism does not appear to take place in the case of Mn2+ and Cu2+. Instead, it is likely that Cu2+ and dopamine form a complex which is highly susceptible towards oxidation by dissolved molecular oxygen. Mn2+, on the other hand, can easily be oxidized into Mn3+, which is capable to oxidize dopamine by itself.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Serotonin binding proteins "SBP": target proteins and tool for in vitro neurotoxicity studies.

1. Serotonin binding proteins (SBP, 45 and 56 kDa) were initially believed to store, transport and/or protect serotonin in serotonergic neurons and, later, to play a catecholamine "housekeeping" function as well. 2. Monoamines do not form coordination bonds with a preformed iron-SBP complex, as initially believed. Instead, metals oxidise the monoamines either directly (manganese, copper) or via oxygen free radical formation (iron) and the oxidation products bind covalently to SBP. 3. SBP are not involved in the housekeeping of monoamines and actin is likely to represent the 45 kDa form. 4. SBP are targets of catecholamine and serotonin-related neurotoxins and monoamine-SBP binding could represent an in vitro model for neurotoxicity.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Quantitative microdialysis for studying the in vivo L-DOPA kinetics in blood and skeletal muscle of the dog.

In this study the microdialysis technique, using alpha-methyldopa as internal standard (IS), is introduced for the in vivo determination of L-DOPA, dopamine (DA), and their metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD) in blood plasma and skeletal muscle extracellular fluid (ECF), in anaesthetised beagle dogs, after i.v. administration of L-DOPA. In a first calibration experiment, the in vivo relative losses (RL) of the compounds and the IS were determined. These were lower in skeletal muscle than in blood plasma. K was defined as the ratio of the RL of the IS to the RL of the compound of interest and was shown to be constant for a certain compound within one tissue. However, except for DA, a significant difference was seen in K values between blood plasma and skeletal muscle. In a second step, the method was validated in blood plasma. The AUC0-->3 values for the non-protein bound L-DOPA did not differ significantly between the dialysis (141.3 +/- 16.0 nmol.h/ml) and traditional whole blood sampling (145.3 +/- 18.7 nmol.h/ml), confirming that microdialysis combined with accurate calibration is a reliable technique for studying the kinetics of drugs in vivo in different tissues.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

PubMed1995

The effect of carbidopa and entacapone pretreatment on the L-dopa pharmacokinetics and metabolism in blood plasma and skeletal muscle in beagle dog: an in vivo microdialysis study.

The effects of carbidopa and entacapone pretreatment on the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of i.v. administered L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) have been examined in vivo in blood plasma and skeletal muscle extracellular fluid (ECF), in beagle dog, by microdialysis. Both with or without carbidopa, blood plasma L-dopa levels declined biexponentially after the i.v. administration of L-dopa. In contrast to blood plasma, a monoexponential decline was observed in muscle ECF in both these pharmacological conditions. Pretreatment with carbidopa had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetic parameters of L-dopa in blood plasma, but resulted in an increase in the area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) and elimination half-life (t1/2) of L-dopa in muscle ECF (0.61 hr), compared with values achieved after L-dopa alone. Carbidopa pretreatment enhanced the accumulation of 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD) and dopamine (DA) in muscle ECF but decreased that of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in both blood plasma and muscle ECF. Entacapone had a pronounced inhibitory effect on the formation of 3-OMD, resulting in a reduction of the AUC for 3-OMD by 98% and 85% in blood plasma and muscle ECF, respectively. Pretreatment with carbidopa plus entacapone enhanced the Tmax of L-dopa in muscle ECF compared with the values achieved after pretreatment with carbidopa alone. In addition, the elimination half-life (2.66 hr) and volume of distribution by area of L-dopa in blood plasma and its AUC and t1/2 in muscle ECF (1.80 hr) were enhanced substantially. No DA was detected, but DOPAC levels were enhanced in both blood plasma and muscle ECF. These results suggested that carbidopa has a L-dopa-sparing effect in skeletal muscle, which is further enhanced by entacapone.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Brain, liver and blood distribution kinetics of carbamazepine and its metabolic interaction with clomipramine in rats: a quantitative microdialysis study.

The aim of this work was to study the transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), blood and liver distribution kinetics, metabolic interaction and local liver metabolism of carbamazepine (CBZ) in the rat, using microdialysis with the internal standard technique as in vivo calibration method. CBZ and its major metabolite, carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-EPO), are homogenously distributed to hippocampus and cerebellum. The ratios of the areas under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for both brain regions to blood AUC were not different from unity for CBZ; they were 0.46 +/- 0.08 (hippocampus) and 0.45 +/- 0.05 (cerebellum) for CBZ-EPO. In addition, the disposition of CBZ and CBZ-EPO in blood and liver, after a single dose of CBZ, was studied in control animals and in rats after pretreatment with clomipramine (CLOMI). A 2-fold increase in the blood AUC of CBZ and a decrease to 33% of the blood AUC of CBZ-EPO in the pretreated group demonstrate the metabolic inhibition of CBZ-EPO formation by clomipramine. The ratios of the AUCCBZ-EPO to the AUCCBZ, as a measure of CBZ-EPO formation, were not different for blood and liver within the control and the clomipramine-pretreated groups, but the ratios were significantly lower for liver and blood in the clomipramine group compared with the control animals. In addition, CBZ was administered locally in the extracellular fluid of the liver via the microdialysis probe. The liver metabolic ratio, expressed as the ratio of the formed CBZ-EPO concentration to the CBZ concentration administered, ranged from 18.2 +/- 1.2% to 19.6 +/- 1.6%.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Interaction of serotonin- and dopamine-related neurotoxins with "serotonin binding proteins" in bovine frontal cortex.

Binding of [3H]serotonin and [3H]dopamine to serotonin-binding proteins (SBP) from soluble extracts of bovine frontal cortex is increased by Fe2+. This group recently attributed this effect of Fe2+ to its ability to enhance the oxidation of [3H]serotonin and [3H]dopamine in the presence of dissolved molecular oxygen, and to the ability of the formed oxidation products to bind covalently to cysteine residues of SBP. In this study it is shown that the binding of both ligands is potently inhibited by dopamine as well as by several catecholamine-and serotonin-related neurotoxins: adrenochrome, 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, 6-hydroxydopamine and 6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline. In contrast, serotonin can only potently inhibit part (36%) of the [3H]dopamine binding, while 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline is only a weak competitor for both ligands. Potent inhibition by the toxins is associated with the presence of electrophilic centres at the aromatic ring, either of the products themselves (adrenochrome) or of their oxidation products (all other competitors). These findings suggest that "SBP" represent an important target for the Fe(2+)-mediated binding of [3H]-serotonin, [3H]dopamine and related neurotoxins.

Adrenochrome↗

PubMed1994

Narrow-bore liquid chromatographic assay for oxcarbazepine and its major metabolite in rat brain, liver and blood microdialysates.

An isocratic narrow-bore high-performance liquid chromatographic assay with UV detection is described for the detection of oxcarbazepine and its major metabolite, 10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxycarbamazepine, using carbamazepine as the internal standard. This method is sufficiently sensitive to allow quantification of oxcarbazepine and its metabolite in rat brain, liver and blood microdialysates.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Simultaneous in vivo microdialysis in plasma and skeletal muscle: a study of the pharmacokinetic properties of levodopa by noncompartmental analysis.

This in vivo study compared the pharmacokinetics of intravenously (iv) administered levodopa (L-dopa) in plasma and skeletal muscle. For this purpose, a single iv dose of L-dopa (25 mg/kg) was given to an anesthetized beagle dog, and L-dopa as well as its O-methyl metabolite, 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD), were monitored in plasma and skeletal muscle simultaneously by microdialysis. The plasma and muscle dialysates were continuously collected during a 3-h period after the iv administration of the drug. The pharmacokinetic variables were then compared in both tissues with noncompartmental modeling. The mean maximum concentration (Cmax) for L-dopa in plasma was 173.10 +/- 9.85 ng/mL, whereas in skeletal muscle extracellular fluid, it was 14.56 +/- 2.27 ng/mL. The area under the curve of concentration versus time from time zero to infinity (AUC0- > inf) values for L-dopa were 20 times higher in plasma compared with muscle. The difference in half-life between the two tissues probably indicated the large contribution of the distribution phase in either or both tissues over the 3-h time interval. Interestingly enough, the AUC0- > 3h values for 3-OMD were within the same range in both tissues. These data demonstrated that over a period of 3 h, no distribution equilibrium for L-dopa was reached over the two tissues. The very low L-dopa/3-OMD ratios suggested that, in contrast to L-dopa, 3-OMD is accumulating in skeletal muscle. Whether these findings have any implication for the therapeutic response to L-dopa in Parkinson's disease remains to be determined.

Animals↗