Abstract
Aim:
Congo red, a secondary diazo dye, is usually used as an indicator for the presence of amyloid fibrils. Recent studies show that congo red exerts neuroprotective effects in a variety of models of neurodegenerative diseases. However, its pharmacological profile remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of congo red on ACh-induced Ca2+ oscillations in mouse pancreatic acinar cells in vitro.
Methods:
Acutely dissociated pancreatic acinar cells of mice were prepared. A U-tube drug application system was used to deliver drugs into the bath. Intracellular Ca2+ oscillations were monitored by whole-cell recording of Ca2+-activated Cl− currents and by using confocal Ca2+ imaging. For intracellular drug application, the drug was added in pipette solution and diffused into cell after the whole-cell configuration was established.
Results:
Bath application of ACh (10 nmol/L) induced typical Ca2+ oscillations in dissociated pancreatic acinar cells. Addition of congo red (1, 10, 100 μmol/L) dose-dependently enhanced Ach-induced Ca2+ oscillations, but congo red alone did not induce any detectable response. Furthermore, this enhancement depended on the concentrations of ACh: congo red markedly enhanced the Ca2+ oscillations induced by ACh (10–30 nmol/L), but did not alter the Ca2+ oscillations induced by ACh (100–10000 nmol/L). Congo red also enhanced the Ca2+ oscillations induced by bath application of IP3 (30 μmol/L). Intracellular application of congo red failed to alter ACh-induced Ca2+ oscillations.
Conclusion:
Congo red significantly modulates intracellular Ca2+ signaling in pancreatic acinar cells, and this pharmacological effect should be fully considered when developing congo red as a novel therapeutic drug.
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Acknowledgements
Part of this work was supported by Shantou University Seed Fund (Jie WU) and by Guangdong Science and Technology Foundation (Hai-yan WANG).
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Different concentrations of ACh induced Ca2+ responses in pancreatic acinar cells. (PDF 44 kb)
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Huang, Zb., Wang, Hy., Sun, Nn. et al. Congo red modulates ACh-induced Ca2+ oscillations in single pancreatic acinar cells of mice. Acta Pharmacol Sin 35, 1514–1520 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2014.94
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2014.94
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