Uptake of [³H]‐nicotine and [³H]‐noradrenaline by cultured chromaffin cells

1

Three day‐old cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells incubated at room temperature with Krebs‐HEPES solution containing different concentrations of [³H]‐nicotine, took up and retained increasing amounts of the drug by a mechanism that did not saturate.

Three day‐old cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells incubated at room temperature with Krebs‐HEPES solution containing different concentrations of [³H]‐nicotine, took up and retained increasing amounts of the drug by a mechanism that did not saturate.

Concentrations of cold nicotine as high as 100 μm did not alter the amount of [³H]‐nicotine retained by cells.

Imipramine, cocaine, tetracaine or mecamylamine, at concentrations (10 μm) that blocked the catecholamine secretory effects of nicotine completely, did not modify the uptake of [³H]‐nicotine.

Both imipramine and cocaine drastically inhibited [³H]‐noradrenaline uptake by cells in a concentration‐dependent manner (IC₅₀s of 0.08 and 1 μm, respectively).

These data indicate that the secretory effects of nicotine are not coupled to its previous uptake into cells, and are evidence in favour of a site of action for nicotine located in or at the surface of the chromaffin cell membrane.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1984.tb10751.x

View this article

• Full article (html)
• Enhanced article (html)
• PDF
• References