Ethanol exposure alters K+- but not bradykinin-induced dopamine release in PC12 cells

The effects of ethanol on [3H]dopamine release were investigated in cultured PC12 cells using two methods to stimulate dopamine release: exposure to depolarizing concentrations of extracellular K+ and incubation with the highly active secretagogue, bradykinin. Both K+ and bradykinin dose-dependently increased [3H]dopamine release. The mean +/- S.E.M. EC50 for K+ was 35.8 +/- 1.2 mM; for bradykinin it was 1.07 +/- 0.23 x 10(-7) M. The characteristics of the bradykinin-stimulated dopamine release showed it to be dependent on extracellular Ca2+ and was attenuated by 1 mM Co2+ or 1 mM Ni2+. However, release was unaffected by either the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel antagonist, verapamil, or the dihydropyridine (DHP) Ca2+ channel agonist, BAY K 8644. In contrast, 1 mM Co2+ completely blocked, verapamil inhibited and BAY K 8644 augmented K+-stimulated [3H]dopamine release. PC12 cells acutely exposed to ethanol (100 and 200 mM) showed diminished K+-stimulated [3H]dopamine release but an unaltered bradykinin-stimulated response. Cells exposed to 200 mM ethanol for 6 days showed significantly enhanced [3H]dopamine release in response to high concentrations of K+ but no changes were observed in their response to bradykinin. These data provide evidence that ethanol, within the same cell, can differentially affect neurotransmitter release, dependent upon the secretagogue used.