Published papers

Hearing loss affects >5% of the global population and therefore, has a great social and clinical impact. Sensorineural hearing loss, which can be caused by different factors, such as acoustic trauma, aging, and administration of certain classes of drugs, stems primarily from a dysfunction of the cochlea in the inner ear. Few therapeutic strategies against sensorineural hearing loss are available. To develop effective treatments for this disease, it is crucial to precisely determine the behavior of ototoxic and therapeutic agents in the microenvironment of the cochlea in live animals. Since the 1980s, a number of studies have addressed this issue by different methodologies. However, there is much less information on pharmacokinetics in the cochlea than that in other organs; the delay in ontological pharmacology is likely due to technical difficulties with accessing the cochlea, a tiny organ that is encased with a bony wall and has a fine and complicated internal structure. In this review, we not only summarize the observations and insights obtained in classic and recent studies on pharmacokinetics in the cochlea but also describe relevant analytical techniques, with their strengths, limitations, and prospects.

Monitoring drug concentration in the blood and reflecting this in the dosage is crucial for safe and effective drug treatment. Most drug assays are based on total concentrations of bound...

The electrochemical behavior of oxygen (O2) in blood was studied using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. Cyclic voltammogram of O2 in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution solution containing 1 × 10-6 M of bovine hemoglobin exhibits a reduction peak at -1.4 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Moreover, the scan rate dependence was investigated to study the reduction reaction mechanism, which was attributable to the reduction of O2 to H2O2 via two electrons. A linear calibration curve was observed in the concentration range of 86.88-314.63 mg L-1 (R2 = 0.99) with a detection limit of 1.0 mg L-1 (S/B = 3). The analytical performance was better than those with glassy carbon or platinum electrodes as the working electrode. In addition, an application to bovine blood was performed. The O2 concentration in the blood measured on the BDD electrodes was compared to that measured using an OxyLite Pro fiber-optic oxygen sensor device. Both methods gave similar values of the O2 concentration in the range of ∼40 to 150 mmHg. This result confirms that BDD electrodes could potentially be used to detect the O2 concentration in blood.

Urine is one of the most used biological fluids for screening drug delivery and the resultant metabolites. In sports, the use of diuretics such as triamterene is considered a violation of anti-doping rules and is stipulated to be present at less than 79 nM in urine by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is therefore important to develop effective rapid and low-cost tests for this diuretic. Here we apply electrochemical analysis using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes, which have superior properties such as low background current, a wide potential window, and high resistance to deactivation. Since real urine samples show clear oxidation current peaks in the potential range more positive than 0.5 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) due to the presence of bio-components such as protein, uric acid, and ascorbic acid, to detect triamterene effectively, the electrochemical protocol was optimized towards a potential range where the other components have limited effect. Our results show that reduced triamterene exhibits an oxidation peak at 0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (PB) and at 0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in pooled human urine. The peak current value increased according to the triamterene concentration. The limit of detection (LOD) was 3.15 nM in the PB and 7.80 nM in pooled human urine. Finally, triamterene detection was attempted in individual urine samples. Triamterene was electrochemically detectable in individual urine samples, excluding urine samples containing an excess amount of ascorbic acid. The limit of detection (LOD) in individual urine samples was determined to be 20.8 nM.

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes have been attracting attention as superior electrode materials for electrochemical sensing applications. Here, we focused on applications of the BDD electrodes to electrochemical gas sensing especially dissolved gas in aqueous solution. This article discusses arsine, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide gas for environmental sensing, and oxygen in the blood for biomedical sensing. The analytical performances suggest that BDD electrodes are more than adequate for determining the concentration of these gas species.

Spikes are said to exhibit “memory” in that they can be altered by spikes that precede them. In retinal ganglion cell axons, for example, rapid spiking can slow the propagation of subsequent spikes. This increases inter-spike interval and, thus, low-pass filters instantaneous spike frequency. Similarly, a K+ ion channel blocker (4-aminopyridine, 4AP) increases the time-to-peak of compound action potentials recorded from optic nerve, and we recently found that reducing autophosphorylation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) does too. These results would be expected if CaMKII modulates spike propagation by regulating 4AP-sensitive K+ channels. As steps toward identifying a possible substrate, we test whether (i) 4AP alters optic nerve spike shape in ways consistent with reducing K+ current, (ii) 4AP alters spike propagation consistent with effects of reducing CaMKII activation, (iii) antibodies directed against 4AP-sensitive and CaMKII-regulated K+ channels bind to optic nerve axons, and (iv) optic nerve CaMKII co-immunoprecipitates with 4AP-sensitive K+ channels. We find that, in adult rat optic nerve, (i) 4AP selectively slows spike repolarization, (ii) 4AP slows spike propagation, (iii) immunogen-blockable staining is achieved with anti-Kv4.3 antibodies but not with antibodies directed against Kv1.4 or Kv4.2, and (iv) CaMKII associates with Kv4.3. Kv4.3 may thus be a substrate that underlies activity-dependent spike regulation in adult visual system pathways.

On-site monitoring of plasma drug concentrations is required for effective therapies. Recently developed handy biosensors are not yet popular owing to insufficient evaluation of accuracy on clinical samples and the necessity of complicated costly fabrication processes. Here, we approached these bottlenecks via a strategy involving engineeringly unmodified boron-doped diamond (BDD), a sustainable electrochemical material. A sensing system based on a ∼1 cm2 BDD chip, when analysing rat plasma spiked with a molecular-targeting anticancer drug, pazopanib, detected clinically relevant concentrations. The response was stable in 60 sequential measurements on the same chip. In a clinical study, data obtained with a BDD chip were consistent with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry results. Finally, the portable system with a palm-sized sensor containing the chip analysed ∼40 μL of whole blood from dosed rats within ∼10 min. This approach with the ‘reusable’ sensor may improve point-of-monitoring systems and personalised medicine while reducing medical costs.

The spike output of neural pathways can be regulated by modulating output neuron excitability and/or their synaptic inputs. Dopaminergic interneurons synapse onto cells that route signals to mammalian retinal ganglion cells, but it is unknown whether dopamine can activate receptors in these ganglion cells and, if it does, how this affects their excitability. Here, we show D-1a receptor-like immunoreactivity in ganglion cells identified in adult rats by retrogradely transported dextran, and that dopamine, D-1-type receptor agonists, and cAMP analogs inhibit spiking in ganglion cells dissociated from adult rats. These ligands curtailed repetitive spiking during constant current injections and reduced the number and rate of rise of spikes elicited by fluctuating current injections without significantly altering the timing of the remaining spikes. Consistent with mediation by D-1-type receptors, SCH-23390 [R-(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine] reversed the effects of dopamine on spikes. Contrary to a recent report, spike inhibition by dopamine was not precluded by blocking I-h. Consistent with the reduced rate of spike rise, dopamine reduced voltage-gated Na+ current (I-Na) amplitude, and tetrodotoxin, at doses that reduced I-Na as moderately as dopamine, also inhibited spiking. These results provide the first direct evidence that D-1-type dopamine receptor activation can alter mammalian retinal ganglion cell excitability and demonstrate that dopamine can modulate spikes in these cells by a mechanism different from the presynaptic and postsynaptic means proposed by previous studies. To our knowledge, our results also provide the first evidence that dopamine receptor activation can reduce excitability without altering the temporal precision of spike firing.

PURPOSE. The membrane expression and gene promoter of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein Thy1 have been widely used to examine the morphology and distribution of retinal ganglion cells in normal eyes and disease models. However, it is not known how adult mammalian retinal neurons use Thy1. Because Thy1 is not a membrane-spanning protein and, instead, complexes with structural and signaling proteins in other tissues, the aim of this study was to find protein partners of retinal Thy1. METHODS. Coimmunoprecipitation, immunohistochemistry, confocal imaging, and patch-clamp recording were used to test for association of Thy1 and HCN4, a cation channel subunit, in adult rat retina. RESULTS. Hyperpolarization of cells immunopanned by an anti-Thy1 antibody activated HCN channels. Confocal imaging showed that individual somata in the ganglion cell layer bound antibodies against Thy1 and HCN4, that the majority of these bindings colocalized, and that some of the immunopositive cells also bound antibody against a ganglion cell marker (Brn3a). Consistent with these results, Thy1 and HCN4 were coimmunoprecipitated by magnetic beads coated with either anti-Thy1 antibody or anti-HCN4 antibody. In control experiments, beads coated with these antibodies did not immunoprecipitate a photoreceptor rim protein (ABCR) and uncoated beads did not immunoprecipitate either Thy1 or HCN4. CONCLUSIONS. This is the first report that Thy1 colocalizes and coimmunoprecipitates with a membrane-spanning protein in retina, that Thy1 complexes with an ion channel protein in any tissue, and that a GPI-anchored protein associates with an HCN channel subunit protein. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012; 53: 1696-1703) DOI:10.1167/iovs.11-9307

In this paper we report on a study of the electrochemical behavior of lamotrigine (LTG) using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry of LTG in a phosphate buffer solution exhibited an oxidation signal at ca. +1.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). A reduction signal at −0.5 to −1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was observed only after oxidation of LTG. The oxidation signal was due to polymerization of LTG adsorbed on the BDD electrode, while the reduction signal was a consequence of a process involving the reduction of the azo group in the LTG-oxidized product. Continuous measurements of LTG aiming at in vivo monitoring were successfully investigated and an optimized chronoamperometry technique, in which the BDD microelectrode was clamped to the LTG oxidation potential (+1.4 V) for 2 s, then to the LTG reduction potential (−0.6 V) for 2 s, was implemented. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) were estimated to be 29 nM and 130 nM for the oxidation and reduction of LTG, respectively. The use of this chronoamperometry technique enables a high temporal resolution of 4 s for LTG measurements. BDD microelectrodes, therefore, are the ideal electrodes for performing continuous in vivo measurements of LTG.

Spike conduction velocity characteristically differs between myelinated and unmyelinated axons. Here we test whether spikes of myelinated and unmyelinated paths differ in other respects by measuring rat retinal ganglion cell (RGC) spike duration in the intraretinal, unmyelinated nerve fiber layer and the extraretinal, myelinated optic nerve and optic chiasm. We find that rapid spike firing and illumination broaden spikes in intraretinal axons but not in extraretinal axons. RGC axons thus initiate spikes intraretinally and normalize spike duration extraretinally. Additionally, we analyze spikes that were recorded in a previous study of rhesus macaque retinogeniculate transmission and find that rapid spike firing does not broaden spikes in optic tract. The spike normalization we find reduces the number of spike properties that can change during RGC light responses. However, this is not because identical spikes fire in all axons. Instead, our recordings show that different subtypes of RGC generate axonal spikes of different durations and that the differences resemble spike duration increases that alter neurotransmitter release from other neurons. Moreover, previous studies have shown that RGC spikes of shorter duration can fire at higher maximum frequencies. These properties should facilitate signal transfer by different mechanisms at RGC synapses onto subcortical target neurons.SIGNIFICANCE Myelination increases spike conduction velocity in axons. To test whether unmyelinated and myelinated segments of axons differ only in propagation speed, we compared spikes in unmyelinated intraretinal and myelinated extraretinal portions of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons. Short interspike intervals and illumination increased spike duration intraretinally but not extraretinally. Consequently, light can change only whether and how often extraretinal spikes fire. Notably, this does not eliminate axonal spike duration differences between subtypes of RGC. This would allow previously described properties of narrower and broader spikes to facilitate signal transfer by different mechanisms at RGC synapses onto subcortical target neurons.

Dopamine can regulate signal generation and transmission by activating multiple receptors and signaling cascades, especially in striatum, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex. Dopamine modulates an even larger variety of cellular properties in retina, yet has been reported to do so by only D1 receptor-driven cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) increases or D2 receptor-driven cAMP decreases. Here, we test the possibility that dopamine operates differently on retinal ganglion cells, because the ganglion cell layer binds D1 and D2 receptor ligands, and displays changes in signaling components other than cAMP under illumination that should release dopamine. In adult rat retinal ganglion cells, based on patch-clamp recordings, Ca2+ imaging, and immunohistochemistry, we find that 1) spike firing is inhibited by dopamine and SKF 83959 (an agonist that does not activate homomeric D1 receptors or alter cAMP levels in other systems); 2) D1 and D2 receptor antagonists (SCH 23390, eticlopride, raclopride) counteract these effects; 3) these antagonists also block light-induced rises in cAMP, light-induced activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and dopamine-induced Ca2+ influx; and 4) the Ca2+ rise is markedly reduced by removing extracellular Ca2+ and by an IP3 receptor antagonist (2-APB). These results provide the first evidence that dopamine activates a receptor in adult mammalian retinal neurons that is distinct from classical D1 and D2 receptors, and that dopamine can activate mechanisms in addition to cAMP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase to modulate retinal ganglion cell excitability. J. Comp. Neurol. 520: 4032-4049, 2012. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stria vascularis of the mammalian cochlea transports K+ to establish the electrochemical property in the endolymph crucial for hearing. This epithelial tissue also transports various small molecules. To clarify the profile of proteins participating in the transport system in the stria vascularis, membrane components purified from the stria of adult rats were analysed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Of the 3236 proteins detected in the analysis, 1807 were membrane proteins. Ingenuity Knowledge Base and literature data identified 513 proteins as being expressed on the plasma membrane', these included 25 ion channels and 79 transporters. Sixteen of the former and 62 of the latter had not yet been identified in the stria. Unexpectedly, many Cl- and Ca2+ transport systems were found, suggesting that the dynamics of these ions play multiple roles. Several transporters for organic substances were also detected. Network analysis demonstrated that a few kinases, including protein kinase A, and Ca2+ were key regulators for the strial transports. In the library of channels and transporters, 19 new candidates for uncloned deafness-related genes were identified. These resources provide a platform for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the epithelial transport essential for cochlear function and the pathophysiological processes involved in hearing disorders.

Unidirectional K+ transport across the lateral cochlear wall contributes to the endocochlear potential (EP) of +80 mV in the endolymph, a property essential for hearing. The wall comprises two epithelial layers, the syncytium and the marginal cells. The basolateral surface of the former and the apical membranes of the latter face the perilymph and the endolymph, respectively. Intrastrial space (IS), an extracellular compartment between the two layers, exhibits low [K+] and a potential similar to the EP. This IS potential (ISP) dominates the EP and represents a K+ diffusion potential elicited by a large K+ gradient across the syncytial apical surface. The K+ gradient depends on the unidirectional K+ transport driven by Na+,K+-ATPases on the basolateral surface of each layer and the concomitant Na+,K+,2Cl(-)-cotransporters (NKCCs) in the marginal cell layer. The NKCCs coexpressed with the Na+,K+-ATPases in the syncytial layer also seem to participate in the K+ transport. To test this hypothesis, we examined the electrochemical properties of the lateral wall with electrodes measuring [K+] and potential. Blocking NKCCs by perilymphatic perfusion of bumetanide suppressed the ISP. Unexpectedly and unlike the inhibition of the syncytial Na+,K+-ATPases, the perfusion barely altered the electrochemical properties of the syncytium but markedly augmented [K+] of the IS. Consequently, the K+ gradient decreased and the ISP declined. These observations resembled those when the marginal cells' Na+,K+-ATPases or NKCCs were blocked with vascularly applied inhibitors. It is plausible that NKCCs in the marginal cells are affected by the perilymphatically perfused bumetanide, and these transporters, but not those in the syncytium, mediate the unidirectional K+ transport.