Electrophysiological Patch Clamp Assay to Monitor the Action of Opioid Receptors

The patch clamp is a valuable electrophysiological technique, which allows the study of single or multiple ion channels in cells, and it is particularly useful in testing the excitable cells such as neurons. Activation of neuronal opioid receptors results in the modulation of various ion channels, which enables to examine the receptors’ action with the patch clamp. In this chapter, we analyze the activation of the G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel 2 by opioids, and the capsaicin-induced transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel currents during opioid withdrawal, using the whole cell patch clamp in transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells as well as in mouse and rat primary dorsal root ganglion neurons.
Source: Springer protocols feed by Pharmacology/Toxicology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news