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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Published on: September 20, 2024
Interleukin-1β inhibits voltage-gated sodium currents in a time- and dose-dependent manner in cortical neurons
Chen Zhou1, Cui Qi, Juanjuan Zhao
1College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, 180 Wusidong Rd, Baoding, Hebei 071002, People's Republic of China. zezhou@gmail.com
Abstract:
Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine that plays a key role in the injuries and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). A voltage-gated Na(+) channel is essential for the excitability and electrical properties of neurons. However, it is not known whether IL-1β directly affects the central Na(+) channels. In the present study, we examined the effects of IL-1β on Na(+) currents in cultured cortical neurons using patch-clamp recording. Our results showed that IL-1β suppressed Na(+) currents through its receptor in a time- and dose-dependent manner, but did not alter the voltage-dependent activation and inactivation. PKC and then p38 MAPK were involved in this inhibition. The spike amplitude was also inhibited by IL-1β in the doses that decreased the Na(+) currents. Our findings revealed the inhibition of chronic IL-1β treatment on voltage-gated Na(+) channels in the CNS, and showed that the action potential (AP) amplitude was reduced by IL-1β due to a decrease of Na(+) currents.
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