Lovinger D M
Unit of Synaptic Pharmacology, LPPS, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD 20852.
Alcohol Alcohol Suppl. 1991;1:181-5.
Effects of ethanol on receptor/channel complexes appear to play an important role in acute intoxication. One such receptor that has not previously been investigated for ethanol sensitivity is the 5-HT3 receptor for the neurotransmitter serotonin. Ethanol potentiates ion current mediated by 5-HT3 receptors in NCB-20 neuroblastoma cells and isolated Nodose ganglion neurons examined with whole-cell patch-clamp recording. Potentiation increases in a concentration-dependent manner over a range of concentrations (25-100 mM) achieved during acute intoxication. Potentiation appears to be due to a direct effect on the 5-HT3 receptor. Ethanol's effect on 5-HT3 receptor-mediated current decreases with increasing agonist concentration, providing an initial clue as to the mechanism of ethanol's action. These data are discussed in light of recent behavioral data suggesting a role for 5-HT3 receptors in the discriminative stimulus and reinforcing properties of ethanol.
乙醇对受体/通道复合物的作用似乎在急性中毒中起着重要作用。一种此前尚未研究过乙醇敏感性的受体是神经递质血清素的5-HT3受体。在用全细胞膜片钳记录检测的NCB-20神经母细胞瘤细胞和分离的结状神经节神经元中，乙醇增强了由5-HT3受体介导的离子电流。在急性中毒期间达到的一系列浓度（25-100 mM）范围内，增强作用呈浓度依赖性增加。增强作用似乎是由于对5-HT3受体的直接作用。乙醇对5-HT3受体介导电流的作用随激动剂浓度增加而降低，这为乙醇作用机制提供了初步线索。根据最近的行为数据讨论了这些数据，这些数据表明5-HT3受体在乙醇的辨别刺激和强化特性中起作用。
