Effect of the water extract from a medicinal plant Dryobalanops aromatica (Dipterocarpaceae) on catecholamine secretion was investigated in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The water extract inhibited [³H]norepinephrine ([³H)NE) secretion induced by...
Effect of the water extract from a medicinal plant Dryobalanops aromatica (Dipterocarpaceae) on catecholamine secretion was investigated in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The water extract inhibited [³H]norepinephrine ([³H)NE) secretion induced by a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonist DMPP with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC_(50)) of ∼6 ㎍/ml. The rises in cytosolic calcium ([Ca^(2+)]_i) and sodium [Na^+]_i) induced by DMPP were also inhibited by the extract. However, the binding of [³H]nicotine to nAChRs was not influenced by the addition of the extract in receptor binding competition analysis, suggesting that the extract and nicotine do not share the binding site in nAChR. On the other hand, [Ca^(2+)]_i increases induced by high K^+, ionomycin, bradykinin, angiotensin II, and thapsigargin were not affected by the extract. The data suggest that the extract from D. aromatica specifically inhibits catecholamine secretion by blocking nAChR in a noncompetitive manner.