targeted-toxins

Chauhan N (2007) Featured Article: Cholinergic immunolesioning produced tangle-like inclusions in TgCRND8 brain. Targeting Trends 8(1)

Related Products: mu p75-SAP (Cat. #IT-16)

Read the featured article in Targeting Trends.

See Also:

• Chauhan NB Cholinergic immunolesioning produced tangle-like inclusions in TgCRND8 brain. Neuroscience 2006 Abstracts 271.8, 2006. Society for Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA

Ma W, Eisenach JC (2007) Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is upregulated in a subset of primary sensory afferents after nerve injury which are necessary for analgesia from alpha2-adrenoceptor stimulation. Brain Res 1127(1):52-58. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.10.008

Summary: Peripheral nerve injury resulting in neuropathic pain often responds poorly to opioid treatment. alpha2-adrenoreceptor (AR) agonists, however, perform better after this type of injury. After a spinal nerve ligation, rats were treated with a 0.6 µg-intrathecal injection of 192-saporin (Cat. #IT-01). The increase of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) caused by spinal ligation was abolished in the lesioned animals. The data indicate that AR agonists may reduce sensitization by activating nNOS fibers in the superficial dorsal horn.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

Ohtori S, Inoue G, Koshi T, Ito T, Doya H, Moriya H, Takahashi K (2006) Substance P-saporin down-regulates substance P receptor immunoreactive sensory dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating the lumbar intervertebral discs in rats. Spine 31:2987-2991. doi: 10.1097/01.brs.0000250306.12996.fa

Summary: Neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor expressing neurons that innervate lumbar intervertebral discs may be involved in lower back pain. Here the authors investigate the basic effect of SP-SAP (Cat. #IT-07) on neurons innervating the L5/6 intervertebral disc. Rats were injected with 175 ng of SP-SAP. The number of NK-1 receptor expressing neurons was reduced by over 75% in the treated animals, demonstrating SP-SAP as a useful tool to investigate the mechanism of discogenic low back pain, particulary for investigating behavioral impacts.

Related Products: SP-SAP (Cat. #IT-07)

Cabrera SM, Chavez CM, Corley SR, Kitto MR, Butt AE (2006) Selective lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis impair cognitive flexibility. Behav Neurosci 120:298-306. doi: 10.1037/0735-7044.120.2.298

Summary: In humans, one aspect of cognitive flexibility is being able to shift attention under a variety of pressures. Here the authors suggest that lesions to the cholinergic nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) will impair cognitive flexibility. The NBM of rats was lesioned with 0.08 µg of 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01). Both lesioned and controlled animals displayed a similar ability to learn a discrimination task, but lesioned animals displayed perseveration – the uncontrollable repetition of a previously correct response – indicating a loss of cognitive flexibility.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

Ritter S, Dinh TT, Li AJ (2006) Hindbrain catecholamine neurons control multiple glucoregulatory responses. Physiol Behav 89(4):490-500. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.05.036

Summary: Glucose deficit evokes many responses in the brain. Recently these workers have been focusing on mechanisms eliciting glucoregulatory responses; the focus has settled on catecholaminergic neurons in the hindbrain. In a series of experiments rats received injections of anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03) into epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) terminal areas of hypothalamus and spinal cord. The data suggest that E/NE neurons coordinate various components of the behavioral response to glucoprivation.

Related Products: Anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03)

Vera-Portocarrero LP, Zhang ET, King T, Ossipov MH, Vanderah TW, Lai J, Porreca F (2007) Spinal NK-1 receptor expressing neurons mediate opioid-induced hyperalgesia and antinociceptive tolerance via activation of descending pathways. Pain 129:35-45. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2006.09.033

Summary: Administration of opioids can induce hyperalgesia in humans and other mammals. In this work the authors examined the role of NK-1 receptor-expressing neurons in the spinal dorsal horn during a hyperalgesic condition not induced by tissue injury. 5 µl of 10 µM SP-SAP (Cat. #IT-07) was injected into the intrathecal space of rats. Saporin (Cat. #PR-01) was used as a control. Osmotic pumps then delivered morphine. Data from the lesioned animals indicate that NK-1 receptor-expressing neurons play a critical role in this hyperalgesic circuit.

Related Products: SP-SAP (Cat. #IT-07), Saporin (Cat. #PR-01)

Abdala AP, Schoorlemmer GH, Colombari E (2006) Ablation of NK(1) receptor bearing neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract blunts cardiovascular reflexes in awake rats. Brain Res 1119(1):165-173. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.08.059

Summary: Cardiovascular function is largely controlled by the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS). This work focuses on the baroreflex, cardiopulmonary chemoreflex, and arterial chemoreflex. Rats were injected with either 20 nl of 2 µM SP-SAP (Cat. #IT-07) into the subpostremal NTS, or 200 nl into the subpostremal and commissural NTS. Saporin (Cat. #PR-01) was used as a control. Using various testing methods it was established that NK-1 receptor-expressing neurons in the NTS are critical for these reflexes.

Related Products: SP-SAP (Cat. #IT-07), Saporin (Cat. #PR-01)

Milstein JA, Lehmann O, Theobald DE, Dalley JW, Robbins TW (2007) Selective depletion of cortical noradrenalin by anti-dopamine beta-hydroxylase-saporin impairs attentional function and enhances the effects of guanfacine in the rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 190(1):51-63. doi: 10.1007/s00213-006-0594-x

Summary: Building on previous work, the authors examined the effect of cortical noradrenalin depletion on a reaction time task. Rats received 0.2 µg-intracortical infusions of anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03), then were trained in a reaction time task. The effect of guanfacine, a selective a-2 adrenergic agonist was also tested in these animals. Lesioned rats were not impaired on the baseline task, but were slower and less accurate during high rate conditions. Guanfacine only affected the lesioned animals.

Related Products: Anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03)

Pedrino GR, Maurino I, de Almeida Colombari DS, Cravo SL (2006) Role of catecholaminergic neurons of the caudal ventrolateral medulla in cardiovascular responses induced by acute changes in circulating volume in rats. Exp Physiol 91(6):995-1005. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.2006.034611

Summary: Catecholaminergic neurons in the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) are thought to help regulate body fluid homeostasis and cardiovascular response due to changes in circulating volume. The authors injected 6.3 ng of anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03) into the CVLM of rats, and measured several physiological parameters following an injection of hypertonic or isotonic saline. Data from the lesioned rats indicate that catecholaminergic neurons mediate the cardiovascular response to volume expansion or increases in sodium levels.

Related Products: Anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03)

Kalinchuk AV, Porkka-Heiskanen T, McCarley RW (2006) Basal forebrain and saporin cholinergic lesions: the devil dwells in delivery details. Sleep 29:1385-1389. doi: 10.1093/sleep/29.11.1385

Summary: The authors of this commentary discuss results presented by Blanco-Centurion et al. The topic is the role of adenosine in the basal forebrain in the control of sleep homeostasis. Discussion covers the potential differences found when 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01) is administered locally as compared to an intracerebroventricular injection.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

See Also:

• Blanco-Centurion C et al. Adenosine and sleep homeostasis in the basal forebrain. J Neurosci 26(31):8092-8100, 2006.