Arecoline

About: Arecoline is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 744 publications have been published within this topic receiving 16015 citations. The topic is also known as: methylarecaiden & methylarecaidin.

The selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, WAY100289, enhances spatial memory in rats with ibotenate lesions of the forebrain cholinergic projection system.

Abstract: The effects of three doses (0.003, 0.03 and 1.0 mg/kg sc) of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, WAY 100289, on spatial learning and memory in the water maze were examined in rats before and after ibotenate lesions to the nucleus basalis and medial septal brain regions at the source of cholinergic projections to cortex and hippocampus. The representative cholinergic nicotinic and muscarinic receptor agonists nicotine (0.1 mg/kg) and arecoline (1.0 mg/kg) were also tested for comparison. Both arecoline and nicotine improved initial acquisition in rats before lesioning, in terms of latency to find a hidden platform and accuracy of search strategy. WAY100289 did not affect the performance of normal rats significantly, apart from some non-significant trends towards improvement with the highest dose. However, in animals showing transient navigational deficits in retention and relearning after lesioning, WAY100289 improved performance at all three doses, though ameliorative effects of nicotine and arecoline were more marked also in lesioned rats. These results show that WAY100289 improved spatial learning in animals impaired after lesions to cholinergic projection nuclei, which may reflect an interaction with cholinergic transmission to enhance cognitive function. However, in the present study, WAY100289 appeared to be less effective than direct cholinergic agonists.

MicroRNA-486-3p functions as a tumor suppressor in oral cancer by targeting DDR1

Abstract: Discoidin domain receptor-1 (DDR1) tyrosine kinase is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers and involved in various steps of tumorigenesis. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the abnormal expression of DDR1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been well investigated. The expression of DDR1 on OSCC patients was determine by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Specific targeting by miRNAs was determined by software prediction, luciferase reporter assay, and correlation with target protein expression. The functions of miR-486-3p and DDR1 were accessed by MTT and Annexin V analyses using gain- and loss-of-function approaches. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and methylation specific PCR (MSP) were performed to explore the molecular mechanisms by arecoline treatment. Here, we reported that DDR1 was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues and its levels were inversely correlated with miR-486-3p expression. The experimental results in vitro confirmed that miR-486-3p decreased DDR1 expression by targeting the 3′-UTR of DDR1 mRNA. Overexpression of miR-486-3p led to growth inhibition and apoptosis induction with a similar function by knockdown of DDR1. Aberrant methylation of ANK1 promoter was a highly prevalent in OSCC and contributes to oral carcinogenesis by epigenetic silencing of ANK1 and miR-486-3p. We found that miR-486-3p can be transcriptionally co-regulated with its host gene ANK1 through epigenetic repression. DNA methylation inhibitor treatment re-expressed ANK1 and miR-486-3p. Importantly, arecoline, a major betel nut alkaloid, recruited DNMT3B binding to ANK1 promoter for DNA methylation and then attenuated the expression of miR-486-3p in OSCC. This study was the first to demonstrate that betel nut alkaloid may recruit DNMT3B to regulate miR-486-3p/DDR1 axis in oral cancer andmiR-486-3p and DDR1 may serve as potential therapeutic targets of oral cancer.

Analysis of Alkaloids in Areca Nut-Containing Products by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Abstract: Chewing of areca nut in different forms such as betel quid or commercially produced pan masala and gutkha is common practice in the Indian subcontinent and many parts of Asia and is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, particularly oral and esophageal cancers. Areca nut-specific alkaloids arecoline, arecaidine, guvacoline, and guvacine have been implicated in both the abuse liability and the carcinogenicity of the areca nut. Therefore, variations in the levels of areca alkaloids could potentially contribute to variations in addictive and carcinogenic potential across areca nut-containing products. Here, we developed an accurate and robust liquid chromatography–tandem mass-spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for simultaneous quantitation of all four areca alkaloids and applied this method to the analysis of a range of products obtained from India, China, and the United States. The results of the analyses revealed substantial variations in the levels of alkaloids across the tested products, wit...

Nicotinic agonists modulate basal forebrain control of cortical cerebral blood flow in anesthetized rats.

Abstract: Previous studies have indicated that electrical microstimulation of the cholinergic (basal forebrain, BF) elicits profound increases in cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF) that are selectively attenuated by nicotinic receptor antagonists. This study sought to determine whether nicotinic receptor agonists such as (-)-nicotine, and related agents, can enhance the increases in CBF elicited by electrical stimulation of the BF of urethane-anesthetized rats. The magnitude of cortical CBF responses, measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry, increased progressively with higher frequencies (range = 6.25-50 Hz) to a maximum of 248% of control. (-)-Nicotine and (-)-lobeline each further enhanced the responses to BF stimulation, with (-)-nicotine having the most potent effect (up to 350%). (+)-Nicotine and (-)-cotinine were without effect, suggesting stereoselectivity and that the effects were not mediated by the major metabolite of (-)-nicotine. In contrast, (-)-cystisine, another nicotinic receptor agonist, modestly inhibited the BF-elicited increase in CBF suggesting nicotinic receptor subtype selectivity in mediating the response. Arecoline, a potent muscarinic agonist, was without effect suggesting that muscarinic mechanisms are not involved in the mediation of this response. None of the nicotinic agents had overt effects on heart rate or blood pressure in the dose ranges examined. In experiments targeting the site of action of the nicotinically mediated enhancement, (-)-nicotine microinjections into the BF elicited profound increases in cortical CBF, whereas similar injections into the cerebral cortex were without effect suggesting that nicotine receptors mediating CBF increases are localized to the BF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)