Yasuo Takeda

Effect of a novel tachykinin, substance K, on salivation in rats

A study of the effects of substance K (SK) and its synthetic fragments on salivation was performed. The rank order of potency of tachykinins that elicited salivation was as follows: physalaemin greater than substance P greater than eledoisin greater than kassinin greater than Arg-SK-(1-10) greater than SK-(1-10) greater than SK-(3-10). SK-(6-10) showed no activity. Atropine (1 mg/kg i.v.) had no effect on SK-induced salivation.

Substance K, a novel tachykinin injected bilaterally into the ventral tegmental area of rats increases behavioral response

Novel tachykinins such as substance K and neuromedin K have been identified in the mammalian CNS. Bilateral injections of substance K and related peptides as well as of substance P into the dopamine cell body area of the ventral tegmental area caused dose-dependent increases in locomotor activity and rearing, in rats. As this behavior was blocked by the pretreatment with haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), the activation of dopaminergic systems may be involved in the hypermotility induced by the administration of substance K.