Kautu Bwarenaba B, Phillips Juliana, Steele Kellie, Mengarelli M Shawn, Nord Eric A
Department of Biology, Greenville College, Greenville, IL, USA.
J Exp Neurosci. 2017 Jun 5;11:1179069517705384. doi: 10.1177/1179069517705384. eCollection 2017.
Kava is a plant root extract that is widely consumed by Pacific Islanders. Kava contains a class of lactone compounds called kavalactones. The sedative and anxiolytic effects of kava are likely attributed to the efficacies of kavalactones on the nervous system. Although some studies have implicated the potencies of certain kavalactone species on γ-aminobutyric acid transmission, evidence supporting the action of kavalactones on the eukaryotic neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and acetylcholine (ACh) transmission is scant. Here, we used behavioral assays to demonstrate the effects of kavalactones at the NMJ. Our results suggest that kavalactones disrupt the inhibitory-excitatory balance at the NMJ. Such perturbation of NMJ activity is likely due to excess or prolonged ACh transmission. In addition, we found that kavain, a major constituent of kava, induced worm paralysis but not convulsions. Hence, the modulatory action of kavain could be distinct from the other kavalactone species.
卡瓦是一种植物根提取物，被太平洋岛民广泛食用。卡瓦含有一类称为卡瓦内酯的内酯化合物。卡瓦的镇静和抗焦虑作用可能归因于卡瓦内酯对神经系统的功效。尽管一些研究表明某些卡瓦内酯种类对γ-氨基丁酸传递有作用，但支持卡瓦内酯对真核神经肌肉接头（NMJ）和乙酰胆碱（ACh）传递作用的证据很少。在这里，我们使用行为分析来证明卡瓦内酯在NMJ处的作用。我们的结果表明，卡瓦内酯会破坏NMJ处的抑制-兴奋平衡。NMJ活性的这种扰动可能是由于ACh传递过多或时间过长。此外，我们发现卡瓦的主要成分卡瓦因会导致蠕虫麻痹但不会引起惊厥。因此，卡瓦因的调节作用可能与其他卡瓦内酯种类不同。
