• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 1996

Intracellular calcium concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) may play a crucial role in a variety of neuronal functions. Here we report that in primary culture of mouse cerebellar granule cells nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are expressed in a specific developmental stage and involved in the regulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis. Nicotine-mediated calcium responses were measured using $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ or fluorometrically using the calcium-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2. Maximal uptake of $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ evoked by nicotine in mouse cerebellar granule cells were revealed $8{\sim}12$ days in culture. In contrast, nicotine did not alter the basal $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ uptake in cultured glial cells. In cerebellar granule cells nicotine-evoked $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ uptake was largely blocked by the NMDA receptor antagonists. Glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT). which removes endogenous glutamate, also prevented nicotine effects, implying the indirect involvement of glutamate in nicotine-mediated calcium responses. Fluorometric studies using fura-2 showed two phases of nicotine-evoked $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ rises: the initial rising phase and the later plateau phase. Interestingly, the NMDA receptor antagonists and GPT appeared to inhibit only the later plateau phase of nicotine-evoked $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ rises. The present results imply that nicotine mediated $^{45}Ca^{2+}$ uptake and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ rises are attributed to the calcium fluxes through both nAchRs and NMDA receptors in a time-dependent manner. Consequently, nAChRs may play an important role in neuronal development by being expressed in a specific developmental stage and regulating the intracellular calcium homeostasis.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.486-492
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• 2007

Seminal plasma(SP) is usually removed from semen that is to be cryopreserved. However, some reports indicate that SP has beneficial effects on spermatozoa during chilling and freezing. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of SP on sperm survival by adding SP to the extender before cooling and freezing canine spermatozoa. In replicate experiments, ejaculates obtained from four healthy dogs(1-4 years old) of various breeds were pooled, centrifuged at $300{\times}g$ for 10 min at $25^{\circ}C$, and the supernatant of seminal plasma was decanted. Spermatozoa were suspended in egg yolk-Tris(EYT) buffer. The study comprised two experiments: [Exp 1] Sperm were suspended in EYT extender containing either 0, 20, 40, 80 or 100% SP and were slowly cooled to $4^{\circ}C$ for 2h or held at $25^{\circ}C$ as controls. Sperm concentration was adjusted to $2{\times}10^8/ml$. [Exp II] Sperm samples, each of which contained $1{\times}10^8/ml$, were assigned to nine groups to be frozen. In the first four groups, sperm in EYT containing either 20, 40, 80 or 100% SP were cooled to $4^{\circ}C$, then diluted to contain final concentrations of EYT+0.6M glycerol and then were frozen. The final concentrations of SP were 10, 20, 40 or 50%. In the other four groups, sperm in EYT alone were first cooled slowly to $4^{\circ}C$, then diluted to contain final concentrations of EYT+0.6M glycerol plus 10, 20, 40 or 50% SP and then were frozen. Spermatozoa, which chilled in EYT alone and diluted to contain final concentrations of EYT+0.6M glycerol without seminal plasma, and then frozen, was regarded as control. Spermatozoa were frozen at $25^{\circ}C/min$ of cooling rate in plastic straws that were suspended above liquid nitrogen and thawed in water at $38^{\circ}C$ for 1 min. Sperm survival was assayed by determining progressive motility and integrity of plasma and acrosome membranes. Progressive motility was determined by microscopic examination at $200{\times}$ magnification. Membrane integrity was assessed by use of a double fluorescent dye, and acrosome integrity by staining sperm with Pisum sativum agglutinin. The results of the first experiment showed that adding SP did not improve motility of spermatozoa compared to those incubated without SP regardless of temperature. The results of the second experiment showed that spermatozoa suspended in EYT+0.6M glycerol containing SP exhibited the higher progressive motility before being frozen(P<0.05). However, frozen-thawed spermatozoa that had suspended in EYT+0.6M glycerol containing SP showed the similar or lower viability(P<0.05). In summary, although seminal plasma did not affect spermatozoa that were chilled in EYT without cryoprotectant(CPA), addition of seminal plasma to EYT containing CPA did significantly improved progressive motility of canine spermatozoa that were chilled.