Different Effects of Ethanol and Activation of TRPM8 ION Channel On Metabolic Response To Cold - Different Effects of Ethanol and Activation of TRPM8 ION Channel On Metabolic Response To Cold - Open Access Pub

The possible interrelation of ethanol and the membrane protein molecules such as TRP ion channels in the whole living organism has not been studied. In the present research we study the influence of ethanol (50%) and agonist of TRPM8 ion channel L-menthol (1% in 50% ethanol) application to abdominal skin on the thermoregulatory response to cooling in rats. We used two types of cooling with the different rates of skin temperature decrease - 0.1 °C/sec for rapid and 0.005°C/s for slow cooling. It was shown, that the effects of ethanol and activation of the cold-sensitive TRPM8 ion channel are mainly directed at different components of thermoregulatory metabolic response to cold. Menthol, as an agonist of the TRPM8 ion channel, besides the constrictor vascular response stimulates predominantly the emergency first phase of metabolic response which appears only at rapid cooling without any effect on the second phase of metabolic response to cooling. Ethanol inhibits the most powerful second phase of metabolic response to cold which is manifested at decreased deep body temperature and is associated with the development of not only non-shivering but also shivering thermogenesis. Effect of ethanol is accompanied by the acceleration of the deep body temperature fall. Ethanol does not prevent the effect of menthol on thermoregulatory blood vessel and emergency phase of metabolic response, and the activation of the cold-sensitive TRPM8 ion channel by menthol has no obvious influence on the effects of ethanol – inhibition being the most powerful thermogenic component of the metabolic response to cold. DOI10.14302/issn.2572-5424.jgm-16-1353 Ethanol while being introduced into the organism mainly through ingestion or skin application affects many functional systems. The basis for the influence of ethanol on the body functioning is its direct effect on the cell metabolic processes. Ethyl alcohol affects the cell membrane by separating fatty acid chains of phospholipids and changing membrane fluidity; it also alters the permeability of volt- and ligand-gated ion channels and directly alters the electrical potentials of neurolemma. Ambient temperature is one of the major factors affecting the living organism. The start thermal afferent information under the external cooling primarily is given by the peripheral skin thermo-afferents. In recent years there have been numerous studies concerning the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cold sensitivity. It is believed that thermosensitive TRP channels are the basis for temperature sensation1. Perception of cold in the