Differentiation of the open and closed states of the ionic channels of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by tricyclic antidepressants.

The actions of two clinically important dibenzocycloheptane antidepressant drugs, amitriptyline and nortriptyline, were studied on ionic channels of nicotinic acetylcholine (AcCho) receptors at the neuromuscular junction of frog skeletal muscle. Amitriptyline (5-10 microM) and nortriptyline (1-2 microM), like imipramine (5-10 microM), did not react with the nicotinic AcCho receptor but caused a voltage- and time-dependent decrease in the peak amplitude of the endplate current (epc). The time constant of epc decay, however, retained its voltage sensitivity. The voltage- and time-dependent effect of amitriptyline was nonlinear with regard to the current/voltage (I/V) relationship. Nortriptyline also had a more pronounced voltage- and time-dependent effect evidenced by a hysteresis loop in the I/V relationship of the epc was eliminated by the use of 50-msec stepwise changes of the membrane potential. The nonlinearity and hysteresis were due to a time-dependent phenomenon and did not involve previous AcCho receptor activation. The rate constant of the voltage- and time-dependent decrease in epc amplitude was sensitive to the membrane electric field and varied linearly with the membrane potential. Iontophoretically elicited epcs were much more depressed by both drugs than were spontaneous miniature epcs. There was no effect on the time constant of miniature epc decay, single-channel lifetime, or conductance. Thus (as we have pointed out in our histrionicotoxin studies) the primary site of action of these agents presumably is the activated but nonconducting species of the ionic channel of the nicotinic AcCho receptor. These agents, particularly nortriptyline, point to several different binding sites of the ionic channel and are suitable tools for the separation of the effects on peak current amplitude from its time constant of decay.