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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 552/1/59    most recent jphysiol.2003.046078v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by De Roo, M. Articles by Schlichter, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by De Roo, M. Articles by Schlichter, R.

Dehydroepiandrosterone potentiates native ionotropic ATP receptors containing the P2X₂ subunit in rat sensory neurones

Mathias De Roo, Jean-Luc Rodeau and Rémy Schlichter

We have studied the modulatory effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), the most abundant neurosteroid produced by glial cells and neurones, on membrane currents induced by the activation of ionotropic ATP (P2X) receptors in neonatal rat dorsal root ganglion neurones. ATP (1 µM) induced three types of currents/responses termed F (fast and transient), S (slowly desensitizing) and M (mixed, sum of F- and S-type responses). DHEA (10 nM to 100 µM) concentration-dependently increased the amplitude of plateau-like currents of S- and M-type responses evoked by submaximal (1 µM) but not saturating (100 µM or 1 mM) concentrations of ATP. -Methylene ATP (me-ATP, 5 µM) also evoked F-, S- and M-type responses, the plateau phases of which were potentiated by lowering external pH (6.3) and by ivermectin (IVM, 3 µM), indicating the presence heteromeric P2X₂-containing receptors and possibly of functional native P2X_4/6 receptors. There was a strict correlation between the potentiating effects of low pH and DHEA on me-ATP responses but not between that of IVM and DHEA, suggesting that DHEA selectively modulated P2X₂-containing receptors. DHEA also potentiated putative homomeric P2X₂ receptor responses recorded in the continuous presence of 1 µM 2'-(or 3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) adenosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-ATP). Our results constitute the first demonstration of a fast potentiation of P2X receptors by a neurosteroid and suggest that DHEA could be an endogenous modulator of P2X₂-containing receptors thereby contributing to the facilitation of the detection and/or the transmission of nociceptive messages, particularly under conditions of inflammatory pain where the P2X receptor signalling pathway appears to be upregulated.

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