Figure 3. PKC inhibitors block the shift of the conductance-voltage (g–V) curves of NMDA-activated currents.

A, normalized conductance (g/g_max)-V curves of all tested cells. Continuous lines plotted according to the Boltzmann equation were generated using the averaged values of V_0.5 = −62.06 ± 1.47 mV (n = 8) for CON cells and −70.82 ± 1.25 mV (n = 19) for CFA cells. Inflammation resulted in a significant shift in the g/g_max-V curve (P < 0.01) in the hyperpolarized direction. B, after treatment with the PKC inhibitor Chelery, or bisindolylmaleimide I (BIS-I), the g/g_max-V curves obtained from CFA cells were no longer shifted. The V_0.5 of the g/g_max-V curves obtained from CFA + Chelery cells was −62.53 ± 1.42 mV (n = 11), and from CFA + BIS-I cells it was −65.05 ± 1.13 mV (n = 17). C, summary of the V_0.5 values obtained from control (CON; open bars) and CFA-treated rats (hatched bars). Only CFA cells in the absence of the PKC inhibitor showed significant changes in the V_0.5 from the CON cells (*P < 0.01). V_0.5 = −62.55 ± 1.70 mV (n = 6) for CON + Chelery cells; V_0.5 = −64.98 ± 0.62 mV (n = 4) for CON + BIS-I cells. Thus, Chelery and BIS-I had no effect on V_0.5 in CON cells, but abolished the change in V_0.5 in CFA-treated rats.