Open AccessATP Receptors for the Protection of Hippocampal Functions
Author(s) -
Kazuhide Inoue
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
japanese journal of pharmacology/japanese journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1347-3506
pISSN - 0021-5198
DOI - 10.1254/jjp.78.405
Subject(s) - purinergic receptor , hippocampal formation , glutamate receptor , excitatory postsynaptic potential , microbiology and biotechnology , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , adenosine triphosphate , hyperpolarization (physics) , stimulation , chemistry , neuroscience , biology , extracellular , receptor , biochemistry , organic chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
The inhibitory effects of extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) are reviewed in the present paper. ATP inhibits the release of the excitatory transmitter glutamate and stimulates the release of the inhibitory transmitter GABA from hippocampal neurons. Also, ATP activates potassium conductance directly through G protein, resulting in hyperpolarization of membrane potential. ATP activates microglia to secrete plasminogen that promotes the development of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons and enhances neurite outgrowth from explants of neocortical tissue. Moreover, ATP may protect hippocampal neurons from excitotoxic cell death by preserving mitochondrial function. Thus, ATP may have a role in the protection of the function of hippocampus from over-stimulation by glutamate.