• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제16권5호
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• pp.343-348
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• 2012

Blocking or regulating $K^+$ channels is important for investigating neuronal functions in mammalian brains, because voltage-dependent $K^+$ channels (Kv channels) play roles to regulate membrane excitabilities for synaptic and somatic processings in neurons. Although a number of toxins and chemicals are useful to change gating properties of Kv channels, specific effects of each toxin on a particular Kv subunit have not been sufficiently demonstrated in neurons yet. In this study, we tested electro-physiologically if heteropodatoxin2 ($HpTX_2$), known as one of Kv4-specific toxins, might be effective on various $K^+$ outward currents in CA1 neurons of organotypic hippocampal slices of rats. Using a nucleated-patch technique and a pre-pulse protocol in voltage-clamp mode, total $K^+$ outward currents recorded in the soma of CA1 neurons were separated into two components, transient and sustained currents. The extracellular application of $HpTX_2$ weakly but significantly reduced transient currents. However, when $HpTX_2$ was added to internal solution, the significant reduction of amplitudes were observed in sustained currents but not in transient currents. This indicates the non-specificity of $HpTX_2$ effects on Kv4 family. Compared with the effect of cytosolic 4-AP to block transient currents, it is possible that cytosolic $HpTX_2$ is pharmacologically specific to sustained currents in CA1 neurons. These results suggest that distinctive actions of $HpTX_2$ inside and outside of neurons are very efficient to selectively reduce specific $K^+$ outward currents.

• 산업경영시스템학회지
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• 제46권spc호
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• pp.31-38
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• 2023

In this study, in order to develop a method to efficiently inject essential nutrients necessary for plant growth into wood chips, which are simply used as soil covering materials in the agriculture, landscaping and horticultural industries, the atmospheric pressure dipping method and the vacuum pressure impregnating method are used to improve the plant nutrients injectability and impregnation amount were comparatively analyzed. Nutrient ingredients and 8 major heavy metal contents of wood chips injected with nutrients were analyzed, and soil covering effects were examined by covering wood chips injected with nutrients on soil. Comparing the dipping method and the vacuum pressure impregnation method, it took about 48 hours or more to inject 1,500 g or more of the nutrient aqueous solution into 1 kg of wood chips in the dipping method, but the vacuum pressure impregnation method could be impregnated in about 5 minutes. Components of the impregnated nutrients were detected in proportion to the diluted concentration. As a result of covering the wood chips developed in this study on soil, they showed weakly acidic pH, and the heat insulation and moisturizing effects during the winter season were evaluated to be superior to those of uncovered soil. In the future, wood chips impregnated with nutrients are expected to contribute to the more efficient use of waste wood resources and the long-term supply of nutrients essential for plant growth, reducing excessive use of chemical fertilizers and reducing costs.