[Comparative evaluation of morphofunctional organization of vertebrate nuclear blood cells].

Morphometrical parameters, osmoregulatory possibilities, and the membrane reserve value of nuclear hemocytes (leukocytes and erythrocytes) were studied in the main classes of vertebrates by using method of hypoosmotic loads. It has been established that in the fish--mammals line in erythrocytes the absolute reserve of the plasmalemma decreases and the relative area of the cell surface increases. Evolution of leukocytes is accompanied by an increase of the membrane reserve and of the surface area due to a decrease of volume and to a rise of folding of the plasmalemma.

[Comparative study of the "membrane reserve" of blood cells of reptiles and mammals].

Based on the method of hypoosmotic loads, the value of membrane reserve and its use by blood cells of reptiles and mammals have been studied. It has been shown that lymphocytes of the both animal species have the highest reserve of plasmalemma, while frog heterophils - the lowest one. A significantly lower part of the membrane reserve participates in formation of phagosomes by mammalian neutrophils as compared with amphibian erythrocytes.

[Acamprosate--a novel treatment for alcoholism]. / Akamprosat--novoe lekarstvennoe sredstvo dlia lecheniia alkogolizma.

The properties of acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurate), a new remedy for the treatment of alcoholism, are reviewed. The efficacy of this drug has been verified by numerous clinical tests in West Europe. The pharmacological activity of acamprosate is related to the drug action upon central neuromediator systems. No side or addiction effects of the drug were reported. Data on the clinical and pharmacological characteristics of acamprosate are summarized.

[Molecular aspects of pharmacological activity of naltrexone and naloxone]. / Molekuliarnye aspekty farmakologicheskoi aktivnosti naltreksona i naloksona.

Naltrexone and naloxone, being competitive antagonists of opioid receptors, have found therapeutic applications in medicine. The experiments with mutant receptors showed that many amino acid residues within transmembrane domains play an important role in binding these drugs. Using the site-directed mutagenesis technique, it was established that even single mutations (replacing single amino acid residues) can significantly modify the affinity of antagonists to receptors, sometimes even imparting agonist-like properties to the compounds studied. Chronic administration of naltrexone and naloxone leads to an increase in the density of opioid receptors and in the sensitivity to agonists. This hypersensitivity and overdose risk in heroin abusers after chromic naltrexone treatment are discussed.

[Neurochemical basis of ultra rapid opioid detoxication]. / Neirokhimicheskie osnovy ul'trabystroi opiatnoi detoksikatsii.

Ultra rapid opioid detoxification (UROD) is a new technique with the use of mu-opioid receptor antagonists to precipitate withdrawal. The scientific literature on UROD techniques in opiate addicts are reviewed, but little has been published on its neurochemical aspects. It is discussed that exposure to naloxone ore naltrexone during UROD is associated with development of increasing in opioidergic neurotransmission. On the other hand, ultra rapid opioid detoxification can be accompanied by normalization of joined brain neurotransmitter systems: noradrenergic, serotoninergic, GABAergic, cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission systems. The neurochemical aspects of the new method detoxification are discussed.

[Functional state of glutamate receptors during treatment with ethanol]. / Funktsional'noe sostoianie retseptorov glutamata pri vozdeistviiakh étanolom.

A growing bulk of experimental data indicates that change of certain neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-dependent ion cannels are characteristic manifestations accompanying ethanol consumption. A likely target for ethanol effects is the glutamate receptors. Glutamate is one of major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain. While the acute application of ethanol inhibits glutamate-induced cationic currents, chronic treatment with ethanol leads to an up-regulation of glutamate receptors.

The influence of ethanol on the functional status of GABA(A) receptors.

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is one of the main inhibitory neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain. Its effects are realized via GABA(A), GABA(B), and GABA(C) receptors. GABA(A) is the most abundant type of GABA receptors. It consists of six classes of subunits, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and chi. Acute and chronic exposures to ethanol are accompanied by changes in structure and function of GABA(A) receptors. These changes may be a basis for altered behavior seen in alcoholism.