A phorbol diester-induced enhancement of synaptic transmission in olfactory cortex

1. Extracellular field synaptic potentials were recorded from pial surface slices of guinea-pig olfactory cortex maintained in vitro. 2. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (0.1-10 microM) enhanced the amplitude of the evoked potential (by 51.2 +/- 10.4% with 1 microM) in normal solution. When the evoked potential was partially depressed by Cd, Co, Mn or a reduced Ca concentration, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (1 microM) induced a much larger enhancement of the evoked potential (196.5 +/- 24.4% increase). Phorbol 12,13-diacetate and mezerein had similar effects but were less potent. 4 beta-Phorbol (10 microM) had no effect. 3. The diacylglycerol analogues, dioctanoylglycerol (100-1000 microM), 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (100-500 microM) or diolein (100 microM) had no effect on the evoked potentials, either alone or in the presence of Cd. 4. The isoquinolinylsulphonamide inhibitor (H-7) of protein kinase C slightly enhanced the e.p.s.p. and had no effect on the potentiation produced by phorbol ester. Another protein kinase C inhibitor, acridine orange (100-1000 microM), had no effect on the action of phorbol ester. 5. These results show that transmitter release, as at other synapses, is enhanced by phorbol esters but Ca did not potentiate this action. The pharmacological profile of the effect on transmitter release differed from that of protein kinase C in cell-free preparations and therefore it is unclear whether protein kinase C was involved in the present study.