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Acta Physiologica Congress

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Acta Physiologica 2011; Volume 203, Supplement 688
The 62nd National Congress of the Italian Physiological Society
9/25/2011-9/27/2011
Sorrento, Italy


DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF RILUZOLE ON THE FETAL AND ADULT HUMAN ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR
Abstract number: P78

PALMA1,2 E, INGHILLERI3 M, CONTI1 L, DEFLORIO1 C, MANTECA1 A, ROSETI1,2 C, GRASSI1 F

1Dept of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza Univ., Rome, Italy
2IRCCS Tosinvest Pisana, Rome, Italy
3Dept of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Univ., Rome, Italy

Riluzole is the only compound registered to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a rare but invariably fatal disease due to selective degeneration of motor neurones. Riluzole is thought to reduce glutamate release onto motor neurones, thus slowing excitotoxicity and the ensuing cell death. However, it affects other ion channels too. In particular, it has been reported to induce a slight blockade of muscle endplate acetylcholine receptor (AChR), which might contribute to the asthenia often experienced by ALS patients on riluzole. We therefore undertook a detailed functional characterization of riluzole effect on the recombinant fetal and adult muscle AChR, expressed in Xenopus oocytes or transfected cell lines. ACh-evoked responses were studied by means of electrophysiological techniques, examining both whole-cell and single-channel currents. Our data show that riluzole affects ACh-evoked currents, inducing a rather strong blockade of the fetal AChR, while the adult AChR is almost unaffected.

These findings indicate that riluzole does not precipitate the impairment of neuromuscolar transmission in ALS patients.

To cite this abstract, please use the following information:
Acta Physiologica 2011; Volume 203, Supplement 688 :P78

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