Capsaicin activated currents in rat dorsal root ganglion cells

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Abstract
Ses are a consequence of its activating a cation-selective current. To further characterize the responses to capsaicin whole-cell patch-clamp measurements were performed on rat DRGs to which 0.1–10 μM capsaicin was continuously applied. The capsaicin-activated currents exhibited marked variability in their thresholds, amplitude (to 15 nA), rates of desensitization, and the number of distinct maxima in the evoked current. Similar responses were found in rat trigeminal ganglion cells. The heterogeneity in the magnitude of the currents evoked by 0.1 μM capsaicin likely reflects different types of capsaicin-sensitive neurons; a result consistent with in vitro extracellular recordings from capsaicin-sensitive sensory afferents (Seno and Dray 1993). *Corresponding author: Sidney A. Simon, Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Tel.: (919) 684-4178; FAX: (919) 684-4431. (Received 3 January 1994; revised version received 1 May 1995; accepted 2 May 1995.) © Lippincott-Raven Publishers....