Treatment with phorbol esters increases striatal extracellular dopamine levels in rat brain slices,173 and amphetamine-stimulated dopamine accumulation in rat striatal slices is inhibited by the PKC inhibitors chelerythrine, calphostin C, and Ro31-8220.173,174 Nicotinic agonists cause translocation of PKC activity to the particulate fraction of PC12 cells, a rat neuroendocrine cell line.175 In PC12 cells, nicotine also acutely stimulates dopamine release, which is inhibited by chelerythrine.176 Therefore in some in vitro models PKC modulates levels of extracellular dopamine.
