Planta Med 1995; 61(5): 477-479
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-958142
Letter

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Effects of Honokiol and Magnolol on Acetylcholine Release from Rat Hippocampal Slices

T. H. Tsai2 , J. Westly1 , T. F. Lee1 , C. F. Chen2 , L. C. H. Wang1
  • 1Biological Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
  • 2Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming Medical College, Taipei 112, Taiwan
Further Information

Publication History

1995

1995

Publication Date:
04 January 2007 (online)

Abstract

To study the possible mechanism through which honokiol and magnolol elicit their central depressant effects, we examined the influence of these two phenolic compounds on 25 mM K+-stimulated release of [3 H]acetylcholine (ACh) from the rat's hippocampal slices. Honokiol, but not magnolol, elicited a concentration-dependent enhancement of K+-evoked ACh release. Addition of either tetrodotoxin, pilocarpine, or methoctramine had no effect on honokiol-enhanced ACh release. These results suggest that honokiol enhanced K+-evoked ACh release directly on hippocampal cholinergic terminals via receptors other than the M2 cholinergic subtypes.