Reversal of the activity-dependent suppression of GABA-mediated inhibition in hippocampal slices from gamma-vinyl GABA (vigabatrin)-pretreated rats

The antiepileptic drug, gamma-vinyl GABA (GVG, vigabatrin), is an irreversible inhibitor of GABA-transaminase, the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of GABA. In hippocampal slices prepared from rats pretreated with either an anticonvulsant dose of GVG (1500 mg/kg) or saline, electrophysiological recordings were performed in order to examine the effects of GVG pretreatment on GABAergic neurotransmission. Although GVG had no effect on the effectiveness of GABA-mediated inhibition when elicited by a single stimulus, it reversed the activity-dependent depression of inhibition which is typically observed when inhibitory pathways are activated repetitively by a train of stimuli delivered at low frequency. Similarly, GVG pretreatment prevented the progressive decline in the amplitude of monosynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) during low-frequency stimulation of inhibitory interneurons. Thus, in slices from GVG pretreated rats, the amplitudes of both the fast and slow components of the last of a series of IPSPs evoked by a 5 Hz, 4 s train were maintained at 91.5 +/- 6.6% and 87.7 +/- 6.5%, respectively, compared to 61.1 +/- 3.9% and 57.1 +/- 5.0% in control slices. Finally, in slices from GVG pretreated rats, we observed a reduction in the ability of the GABA(B) receptor agonist, baclofen, to decrease the amplitude of monosynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic currents. These results suggest that GVG may produce its frequency-dependent actions by reducing the function of release regulating presynaptic GABA(B) autoreceptors. The frequency-dependent reinforcement of inhibition by GVG may importantly contribute to the anticonvulsant effectiveness of this compound.     

Pharmacological re-evaluation of a GABA(B) receptor antagonist CGP 47332A in rat brain

In rat neocortical slices maintained in Mg(2+)-free Krebs medium, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(B)) receptor agonist baclofen concentration-dependently depressed the frequency of spontaneous discharges (EC(50)=12 microM). This was reversibly antagonised by (R, S)-3-amino-2-hydroxy-propyl-P-n-butyl-phosphinic acid (CGP 47332A) (25, 100, 300 microM) which produced rightwards shifts of the baclofen concentration-response curves (pA(2) value=4.8+/-0.1). In electrically stimulated slices preloaded with [3H]GABA, CGP 47332A increased its release (EC(150)=100 microM) through antagonism of GABA(B) autoreceptors. Although CGP 47332A was some six times weaker on GABA(B) auto- than on heteroreceptors, yet its congener lacking the beta-hydroxy substituent displays equal potency in both binding (IC(50)=38 microM) and GABA(B) autoreceptor functional studies (EC(150)=38 microM) as previously reported [Froestl, W., Mickel, S.J. , Von Sprecher, G., Diel, P.J., Hall, R.G., Maier, L., Strub, D., Melillo, V., Baumann, P.A., Bernasconi, R., Gentsch, C., Hauser, K., Jaekel, J., Karlsson, G., Klebs, K., Maitre, L., Marescaux, C., Pozza, M.F., Schmutz, M., Steinmann, M.W., Van Riezen, H., Vassout, A., Mondadori, C., Olpe, H.R., Waldmeier, P.C., Bittiger, H., Phosphinic acid analogues of GABA: 2. Selective, orally active GABA(B) antagonists. J. Med. Chem. 38 (1995) 3313-3331.].     

Comparative activities of the enantiomeric GABA(B) receptor agonists CGP 44532 and 44533 in central and peripheral tissues

In neocortical slices maintained in Mg(2+)-free Krebs medium, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(B)) receptor agonists baclofen, (3-amino-2(S)-hydroxypropyl)methylphosphinic acid (CGP 44532), and its (R)-enantiomer CGP 44533 depressed the frequency of spontaneous discharges in a concentration-dependent manner (EC(50)=10, 6.5, and 50 microM, respectively). These effects were reversibly antagonised by the GABA(B) receptor antagonist (+)-(S)-5,5 dimethylmorpholinyl-2-acetic acid (Sch 50911) (3, 10, and 30 microM) (average pA(2) value=6.0+/-0.2). In neocortical wedges, baclofen, CGP 44532 and CGP 44533 elicited concentration-dependent hyperpolarisations (the EC(50)s were 14, 7.5 and 16 microM, respectively) sensitive to Sch 50911 (1, 5, 10 microM) (average pA(2) value=6.0+/-0.1), whilst they also depressed ileal electrically elicited cholinergic twitch contractions (EC(50)=11, 7, and 50 microM) that were antagonised by Sch 50911 (average pA(2) value=6.0+/-0.1). In electrically stimulated brain slices preloaded with [3H]GABA, baclofen, CGP 44532 and CGP 44533 decreased [3H]GABA release (IC(50)=5, 0.45, and 10 microM); this effect was reversed by Sch 50911 (50 microM). It is concluded that CGP 44532 is a far more potent agonist at GABA(B) autoreceptors than at central or peripheral heteroreceptors.     

GABA(B) receptor activation inhibits dopamine D1 receptor-mediated facilitation of [(3)H]GABA release in substantia nigra pars reticulata

GABA(B) receptors inhibit and dopamine D1 receptors stimulate the release of GABA from striatal terminals in the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra. Here we have studied the interaction between both classes of receptors by exploring the effect of GABA(B) receptors upon the stimulation of depolarization-induced [(3)H]GABA release induced by the activation of D1 receptors in slices of the pars reticulata of the rat substantia nigra. The activation of GABA(B) receptors with baclofen (100 microM) inhibited by 48+/-8% the evoked [(3)H]GABA release in normal slices but did not modify the release in slices from reserpine-treated rats, indicating that the inhibition was dependent on endogenous dopamine. The inhibitory effect of baclofen was also abolished by the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (1 microM), indicating a D1 receptor-dependence of the baclofen inhibition. Baclofen dose-dependently inhibited (IC(50)=3.6 microM) the stimulation of release induced by the D1 agonist SKF 38393 (1 microM). Baclofen also blocked the stimulation of release induced by forskolin but not that induced by 8-Br-cAMP, indicating that the inhibitory effect was exerted before cAMP synthesis. N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), a selective inactivator of PTX-sensitive G-proteins, abolished the baclofen inhibition of the SKF 38393-induced stimulation of the release without affecting the stimulation induced by the D1 agonist, suggesting that the baclofen effect was mediated by Galpha(i/o) proteins. These results might have relevance in the control motor disorders associated with D1 receptor supersensitivity.     

Antagonism of GABA(B) receptors by morpholino-2-acetic acid derivatives Sch 54679 and Sch 51324 in rat brain

In rat neocortical slices maintained in Mg2+-free Krebs medium, baclofen depressed the rate of spontaneous discharges in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 4.5 microM). This depression was reversibly antagonised by 5-(S,R)-hydroxymethyl-5-methylmorpholinyl-2-(R,S)-acetic acid (Sch 54679) and 2-(R,S)-5-[spirocyclopentyl]-morpholinyl-acetic acid (Sch 51324) (respective pA2 values of 5.8+/-0.15 and 5.4+/-0.2). In electrically-stimulated slices preloaded with [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), Sch 54679 (EC50 = 3 microM) was 2.3 times more potent than Sch 51324 (EC50 = 7 microM) in increasing [3H]GABA release through antagonism of GABA(B) autoreceptors. These structurally novel analogues may be pharmacologically useful for elucidating GABA(B) receptor functions.     

My close encounter with GABA(B) receptors

In this review, I summarize the sequence of events involved in characterizing the functional role of GABA(B) receptors in the CNS and their involvement in synaptic transmission. The story was launched with the realization that baclofen was a selective agonist of GABA(B) receptors. This lead to the discovery in the CNS that GABA(B) receptor activation could result in a presynaptic inhibition of transmitter release as well as a postsynaptic increase in potassium conductance. Based on this information, it was found that GABA also activated a potassium conductance. A role for GABA(B) receptors in synaptic transmission was suggested by the fact that activation of GABAergic interneurons could generate a slow IPSP mediated by an increase in potassium conductance. To link this slow IPSP to GABA(B) receptors required a selective GABA(B) antagonist. Phaclofen was the first antagonist developed and was found to antagonize the action of baclofen and the GABA(A) independent action of GABA. Most importantly, it blocked the slow IPSP. The properties of GABA(A) and GABA(B) IPSPs are remarkably different. GABA(A) IPSPs powerfully inhibit neurons and rapidly curtail excitatory inputs. This greatly enhances the precision of excitatory synaptic transmission. GABA(B) IPSPs are recruited with repetitive and synchronous activity and are postulated to modulate the rhythmic network activity of cortical tissue.     

Calcium-independent inhibition of the spontaneous release of GABA by baclofen in the rat hippocampus]

The mechanism of calcium-independent spontaneous GABA release in a long-living (3-10 weeks) rat hippocampal neuron culture was studied. It was found that Cd2+ (100 microM), a Ca2+ channel blocker, reversibly decreased the frequency and amplitude of GABAergic spontaneous miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (smIPSCs). Besides, Cd2+ decreased the currents evoked by muscimol application onto the neurons, which is evidence of an additional postsynaptic effect. The GABAB receptor agonist baclofen (0.1-50 microns) produced a concentration-dependent decrease in the smIPSC frequency, while not affecting the current amplitude. The baclofen effect was blocked by the pertussis toxin. The baclofen efficacy both in the presence of Cd2+ (presumably compete blocking of Ca2+ channels) and in the absence of this agent were similar and could be completely accounted for by the loss of an equivalent smIPSC fraction. Thus, the presynaptic baclofen-induced inhibition of the spontaneous GABA release can be entirely independent of the calcium channel modulation (the latter playing a decisive role in a mediator release induced by the action potential). Therefore, the smIPSC measurements (widely used in the past decade for the study of presynaptic drug activity) may inadequately reflect the drug effect in the intact brain.     

Autoreceptor-mediated regulation of GABA release: role of uptake inhibition and effects of novel GABAB antagonists

Summary While the role of GABA_B autoreceptors in the regulation of GABA release in synaptosomes and brain slices is well established, little is known about their role in vivo. Doubts have arisen because there is an apparent discrepancy between the frequencies at which GABA neurons fire and the frequency range within which autoreceptor regulation is observed in vitro. To see whether this apparent mismatch could be due to the use of a GABA uptake inhibitor in the release experiments in slices, we have compared the frequency dependencies of GABA release in the presence and absence of uptake inhibition. Beforehand, the previously incomplete frequency curve in the presence of uptake inhibition was extended at the lower end. To achieve this, stimulation was performed by means of groups of 4 pseudo-one-pulses (POP's) at inter-POP intervals corresponding to frequencies of 0.015625-0.5 Hz. It could be shown that activation of the GABA_B autoreceptor by endogenously released GABA begins at a stimulation frequency as low as 0.0625 Hz. Experiments with the antagonist, CGP 35348, at inter-POP intervals of 1 min, at which the preceding POP has no longer an effect on GABA release during the next one, showed that basal release alone already substantially activated the autoreceptor. The frequency dependence in the absence as compared to the presence of uptake inhibition was shifted towards higher frequencies by a factor of 4. We do not consider this enough to remove our doubts about the in vivo operativity of GABA_B autoreceptors.Further experiments in the presence of uptake inhibition were made to see whether the expectation was met that autoreceptor-mediated regulation of GABA release could be blocked out by sufficiently high concentrations of potent antagonists. As judged from the frequency dependence in the presence of 1 mol/l of the potent compound CGP 55845 as well as from the similarity of the maximal increases of GABA release caused at 0.125 and 2 Hz by various other potent, novel GABA_B antagonists, this was not the case. Possible explanations are the occurrence of an agonist and an antagonist state of the autoreceptor prevailing at low GABA concentrations or, less likely, the occurrence of two autoreceptor subtypes with different relative sensitivities towards GABA and baclofen on the one hand and towards aminophosphonous acid antagonists on the other.Finally, it was shown that also in the absence of uptake inhibition, regulation of GABA release was mediated entirely by GABA_B autoreceptors. Both muscimol and bicuculline at 1 and 10 mol/1 were without effect. Correspondence to P. Waldmeier at the above address     

Pharmacological actions of oximino-propofol analogues at GABA(B) autoreceptors

1. GABA(B) autoreceptors are a subclass of GABA(B) receptors that inhibit the release of [(3) H]GABA from GABAergic nerve terminals. Baclofen is an agonist that reduces [(3)H]GABA, whilst the antagonist (+)-(S)-5,5-dimethylmorpholinyl-2-acetic acid (Sch 50911) enhances [(3)H]GABA release in electrically-stimulated rat neocortical brain slices preloaded with [(3)H]GABA. Here, the pharmacological actions of a series of compounds derived from the positive allosteric modulator, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(3-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-propyl)-phenol (CGP7930), were examined on GABA(B) autoreceptors. 2. The compound, 3-(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1-oximinopropane (compound 2), at 10 μmol/L had little effect on the stimulation-induced overflow of [(3)H]GABA when superfused alone, but when superfused in the presence of baclofen (2 μmol/L) inhibited the overflow of [(3)H]GABA. These effects were reversed by Sch 50911 (10 μmol/L). Although compounds 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-diisopropylphenyl)-2-methyl-1-oximinopropane (compound 1), 1-[(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-1-oximinomethylcyclohexane (compound 3), 3-(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2-diphenyl-1-oximinopropane (compound 4) and 4-(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-2-oximinobutane (compound 5) (each at 10 μmol/L) tended to reduce the stimulation-induced overflow in the presence of baclofen, an effect reversed by Sch 50911, their status as modulators is not confirmed in the present study. 3. Another derivative, 3-(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-methyl-1-oximinopropane (compound 6) (10 μmol/L), acted as an agonist as it inhibited the release of [(3)H]GABA by 32% (EC(50) of 3.3 μmol/L), an effect reversed by Sch 50911 (10 μmol/L). The other compounds, 1-[(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-1-methyl-2-oximinocyclohexane (compound 7), 4-(3,5-ditbutyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-3,3-dimethyl-2-oximinobutane (compound 8) and 4-(4-hydroxy-3,5-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3-dimethyl-2-oximinobutane (compound 9) (each at 10 μmol/L), were inactive. 4. These findings indicate that this series of compounds show different modes of activity at GABA(B) autoreceptors.     

Selective block of rat and human neocortex GABA(B) receptors regulating somatostatin release by a GABA(B) antagonist endowed with cognition enhancing activity

Previously, we have shown that presynaptic GABA(B) receptors regulating the release of various transmitters from CNS terminals can be differentially blocked by GABA(B) antagonists suggesting the existence of pharmacologically distinct GABA(B) receptor subtypes. We here examined the ability of CGP 36742 [(3-aminopropyl)n-butylphosphinic acid], a selective GABA(B) antagonist endowed with cognition enhancing activity, to block release-regulating GABA(B) receptors. In particular, CGP 36742 was tested against the inhibition of the depolarization-evoked release of GABA, glutamate, cholecystokinin and somatostatin produced by (-)baclofen in rat and human neocortex axon terminals. CGP 36742 potently antagonized (IC50 = 0.14 microM) the inhibition by (-)baclofen of somatostatin release from superfused rat neocortex synaptosomes. In contrast, the effects of (-)baclofen on GABA, glutamate and cholecystokinin release were insensitive to CGP 36742, at concentrations of up to 100 microM. In human neocortex synaptosomes CGP 36742 exhibited a pattern of selectivity identical to that in rat synaptosomes, although the antagonist was at least 10-fold less potent in human than in rat brain. CGP 36742 is the first compound displaying great selectivity for the GABA(B) presynaptic receptors regulating somatostatin release. Considering the proposed implication of the neuropeptide in cognitive processes, disinhibition of somatostatin release merits consideration as one of the mechanisms possibly involved in the behavioral activity of CGP 36742.     

CGP 36216 is a selective antagonist at GABA(B) presynaptic receptors in rat brain

In rat neocortical preparations maintained in Mg(2+)-free Krebs medium, baclofen depressed the frequency of spontaneous discharges in a concentration-dependent manner (EC(50) = 6 microM), sensitive to (3-aminopropyl)ethylphosphinic acid (CGP 36216) (100, 300 and 500 microM) (pA(2) = 3.9 +/- 0.1). By contrast, CGP 36216, up to 1 mM, was ineffective in antagonising baclofen-induced hyperpolarisations, mediated through gamma-aminobutyric acid(B) (GABA(B)) postsynaptic receptors. In electrically stimulated brain slices preloaded with [3H]GABA, CGP 36216 increased [3H]GABA release (IC(50) = 43 microM), which was reversed by baclofen (20 microM). While CGP 36216 is ineffective at GABA(B) postsynaptic receptors, it is appreciably more active at presynaptic receptors.     

Studies on [3H]GABA and endogenous GABA release in rat cerebral cortex suggest the presence of autoreceptors of the GABAB type

The presence of autoreceptors for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the CNS was reinvestigated using rat cortex synaptosomes prelabeled with [3H]GABA and exposed to GABA by superfusion in the presence of a new GABA uptake inhibitor, N-(4,4-diphenyl-3-butenyl)-nipecotic acid (SK&F 89976A). This compound itself did not increase the basal or the depolarization-evoked release of [3H]GABA. GABA reduced in a concentration-dependent way the release of [3H]GABA evoked by 15 mM K+. The effect was not antagonized by bicuculline, picrotoxin or by the new GABAA antagonist SR 95531. The GABAA agonist muscimol did not affect [3H]GABA release. This was reduced by (-)baclofen (but not by the (+) isomer) and the concentration-inhibition curve of (-)baclofen was superimposable on to that of GABA. Also the K+-evoked release of endogenous GABA was stereoselectively and concentration dependently inhibited by the (-) enantiomer of baclofen. It is concluded that the release of GABA from rat cortical nerve endings may be inhibited through the activation of autoreceptors which appear to belong to the GABAB type.     

GABA(B) receptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition of glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in the basolateral amygdala

The information processing at central synapses is mediated not only by homosynaptic transmission with direct synaptic connections but also by heterosynaptic interactions between distinct synaptic inputs. Using rat brain slices and whole-cell recordings this study aimed to examine the roles of GABA(B) receptors in synaptic interactions in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), a critical brain structure related to fear and anxiety. Stimulation in the BLA produced non-NMDA type glutamate receptor antagonist-sensitive excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) and bicuculline-sensitive inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in the BLA neurons. The GABA(B) receptor agonist baclofen markedly inhibited both EPSCs and IPSCs in a concentration-dependent manner, and the baclofen-induced inhibition was selectively abolished by the GABA(B) receptor antagonist CGP55845A. The paired-pulse ratio of EPSC and IPSC amplitude was increased by baclofen. The effect of baclofen was mimicked by lowering the external Ca2+ concentration but not by glutamate- and GABA(A)-receptor antagonists. The frequency but not the mean amplitude of miniature EPSCs and IPSCs was decreased by baclofen. The findings suggest that activation of GABA(B) receptors by baclofen reduces the strength of excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the BLA by a presynaptic mechanism. Repetitive conditioning stimulation applied to GABAergic synaptic inputs exerted an inhibitory action on glutamatergic excitatory transmission, and the stimulation-induced inhibition was abolished by CGP55845A. Furthermore, the paired-pulse ratio of EPSCs was increased during the stimulation-induced inhibition. The results in this study provide evidence that synaptic activation of GABA(B) heteroreceptors elicits presynaptic inhibition of glutamatergic excitatory transmission in the BLA.     

GABA(B) receptor activation and limbic network ictogenesis

Rat brain slices containing interconnected hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (EC) responded to 4-aminopyridine (50 microM) application by generating: (i) CA3-driven interictal discharges that propagated to the EC; and (ii) N-methyl-D-aspartic (NMDA) acid receptor-dependent ictal events originating in EC (cf. J. Neurosci. 17 (1997) 9308 for experiments made in brain slices). Ictal discharges disappeared within 1-2 h, but were re-established by cutting the Schaffer collaterals, which abolished CA3-driven interictal discharge propagation to EC. In intact slices, GABA(B) receptor activation by baclofen (5-40 microM): (i) depressed CA3-driven interictal activity; and (ii) disclosed non-NMDA glutamatergic receptor-dependent ictal discharges originating in CA3 and propagating to EC. These effects were reversed by the GABA(B) receptor antagonist CGP 35348 (0.5 mM). Application of increasing baclofen doses to slices in which hippocampus and EC networks were surgically isolated decreased epileptiform events with an IC50 that was lower in EC (0.6 microM; n = 12) than in CA3 (2.5 microM; n = 12). Hence, under control conditions, EC ictogenesis depends on NMDA receptor function and is controlled by CA3-driven output activity; in contrast, following GABA(B) receptor activation EC excitability is depressed to a greater extent than CA3, which leads to non-NMDA glutamatergic receptor-mediated ictogenesis in CA3. We propose that GABA(B) receptor modulation may represent an important mechanism for setting the site of initiation, the modalities of propagation and the glutamatergic receptor properties of ictogenesis in the limbic system and, perhaps, in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy patients.     

The GABA(B) receptor allosteric modulator CGP7930, like baclofen, reduces operant self-administration of ethanol in alcohol-preferring rats

GABA systems have been implicated as targets for ethanol at the cellular, molecular and behavioural level. The present study was designed to further examine the potential of the GABA(B) receptor as a target for regulating operant alcohol responding. Given that the prototypic agonist, baclofen, reduces the self-administration of alcohol, we hypothesized that the GABA(B) receptor allosteric modulator, CGP7930, might have similar actions but a reduced side-effect profile. In this context, inbred alcohol-preferring (iP) rats were trained to respond for 10% v/v ethanol in a fixed ratio paradigm; all drug testing was performed under an FR3 schedule. Both baclofen and CGP7930 independently reduced voluntary responding for 10% ethanol in a dose-related manner. Neither drug impacted upon responding for water. A combination of subthreshold doses of baclofen and CGP7930 was also able to reduce operant responding for ethanol, suggesting that CGP7930 is indeed acting to facilitate GABA(B) receptor-mediated signalling in this paradigm. These data demonstrate the potential of positive allosteric modulators of metabotropic GABA(B) receptors to regulate alcohol responding.     

Regulation of depolarizing GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic potentials by synaptic activation of GABA(B) autoreceptors in the rat hippocampus

The role of GABA(B) autoreceptors in the regulation of GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptor-mediated inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (IPSPs) during repetitive synaptic activation has been established. In the present study the role of these receptors in the regulation of depolarising GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic potentials (DPSP(A)s) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus is documented. Following blockade of AMPA and NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic excitation, DPSP(A)s could be evoked by a single stimulus. The size of this response was enhanced by increasing the stimulus number (1-10 shocks) or stimulus frequency (10-100 Hz). Conversely, the amplitude of the DPSP(A) was dramatically reduced by a priming pulse (single shock) or priming burst (four shocks) delivered 200 ms beforehand. This activity-dependent depression was eliminated by the GABA(B) receptor antagonist CGP 35348 (1 mM). As such, GABA(B) autoreceptor-mediated regulation of DPSP(A)s prevented a pronounced, potentially epileptogenic, DPSP(A) from occurring during theta burst stimulation. Thus, during repetitive stimulation, activation of GABA(B) autoreceptors not only enables a transient reduction in GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic inhibition sufficient to enable NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity [Davies, C.H., Collingridge, G.L., 1996. J. Physiol. 496.2, 451-470] but also prevents the development of a potentially pathogenic depolarising GABA-mediated synaptic potential.     

Convulsant actions of calycanthine

The principal alkaloid of the family Calycanthaceae, calycanthine has long been recognized as a central convulsant. The alkaloid inhibited the potassium-stimulated release of [(3)H]GABA from slices of rat hippocampus with an ED(50) of approximately 21 microM. This effect appeared to be moderately selective since calycanthine at 100 microM had only a weak effect on the potassium-stimulated release of [(3)H]acetylcholine (15%) and no significant effects on the release of [(3)H]D-aspartate from hippocampal and cerebellar slices or the release of [(3)H]glycine from spinal cord slices. Calycanthine blocked the L-type calcium currents with an IC(50) of approximately 42 microM and also weakly inhibited the N-type calcium currents (IC(50) > 100 microM) from neuroblastoma X glioma cells, suggesting voltage-dependent calcium channel blockade as a possible mechanism for its inhibition of GABA and ACh release. Calycanthine was also found to directly inhibit GABA-mediated currents (K(B) approximately 135 microM) from human alpha(1)beta(2)gamma(2L) GABA(A) receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes but had no effect at 100 microM on human rho(1) GABA(c) receptors. The results indicated that calycanthine may mediate its convulsant action predominantly by inhibiting the release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA as a result of interactions with L-type Ca(2+) channels and by inhibiting GABA-mediated chloride currents at GABA(A) receptors.     

alpha1beta2delta, a silent GABAA receptor: recruitment by tracazolate and neurosteroids

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study investigated the alpha(1)beta(2)delta isoform of the GABA(A) receptor that is presumably expressed in the forebrain. The functional and pharmacological properties of this receptor combination are largely unknown. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We expressed alpha(1)beta(2)delta GABA(A) receptors in Xenopus laevis oocytes. GABA-activated currents, in the presence and absence of modulators, were recorded using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. KEY RESULTS: The alpha(1)beta(2)delta isoform of the GABA(A) receptor exhibited an extremely small GABA-mediated current. Tracazolate increased the current amplitude evoked by a half-maximal concentration (EC(50)) of GABA by 59-fold. The maximum current was increased 23-fold in the presence of a saturating GABA concentration. Concomitant with the increase in the maximum, was a 4-fold decrease in the EC(50). Finally, a mutation in the second transmembrane domain of the delta subunit that increases receptor efficacy (L286S), eliminated the increase in the maximum GABA-activated current. The endogenous neurosteroid, tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone (THDOC), also decreased the EC(50) and increased the maximum current amplitude, although to a lesser degree than that of tracazolate. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Taken all together, these findings indicate that the small GABA-mediated currents in the absence of the modulator are due to a low efficacy for activation. In the absence of modulators, alpha(1)beta(2)delta GABA receptors would be effectively silent and therefore contribute little to inhibition in the CNS. In the presence of tracazolate or endogenous neurosteroids however, this particular receptor isoform could exert a profound inhibitory influence on neuronal activity.     

氯苯氨丁酸抑制脊髓背角神经元谷氨酸量子释放的机制

目的　研究GABAB 受体特异性激动剂氯苯氨丁酸(baclofen)在脊髓背角神经元抑制谷氨酸量子释放的机制。方法　在脊髓薄片标本上 ,采用全细胞电压钳法记录脊髓背角神经元谷氨酸能的微兴奋性突触后电流 (miniatureexcita torypostsynapticcurrents;mEPSCs) ,通过分析这些电流的变化来研究baclofen影响谷氨酸量子释放的机制。结果　ba clofen抑制mEPSCs的发放频率 ,但对平均幅度无明显影响 ,表明baclofen抑制谷氨酸释放的作用部位在突触前。在无钙溶液或者K+ 通道阻滞剂 4 AP存在的条件下 ,baclofen对mEPSCs发放频率的抑制作用不受影响 ,但腺苷酸环化酶激动剂foskolin (可使cAMP保持在较高水平 )能降低其抑制作用。而蛋白激酶C (PKC)激动剂PDBu对baclofen的抑制作用无影响。用NEM破坏G蛋白 ,则可取消baclofen的抑制效果。结论　baclofen不是通过影响突触前Ca2 + 通道或K+通道 ,或PKC途径 ,而是通过作用于G蛋白和 (或 )cAMP途径抑制谷氨酸的释放 ;这种抑制作用可能参与baclofen在脊髓水平的镇痛     

GABA terminal autoreceptors in the pars compacta and in the pars reticulata of the rat substantia nigra are GABAB

The depolarization-evoked release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its modulation mediated by autoreceptors were studied in superfused synaptosomes prepared from the pars compacta and from the pars reticulata of the rat substantia nigra. The release of [3H]GABA evoked by 9 mM KCl was almost totally calcium-dependent in both nigral subregions. In the presence of SK&F 89976A (N-(4,4-diphenyl-3-butenyl)nipecotic acid), a GABA uptake inhibitor added to minimize carrier-mediated homoexchange, GABA (0.3-10 microM) inhibited, in a concentration-dependent way, the K(+)-evoked overflow of [3H]GABA from both pars compacta and pars reticulata synaptosomes. Similarly to GABA, (-)-baclofen (0.3-10 microM) reduced the [3H]GABA overflow, being roughly equipotent to GABA in both nigral subregions. The (+) enantiomer of baclofen was ineffective. The overflow of [3H]GABA was not consistently affected by muscimol in either the pars compacta or the pars reticulata. The effects of GABA were bicuculline- and picrotoxin-insensitive. However, the inhibition by GABA of the [3H]GABA overflow was antagonized by phaclofen. It is concluded that (a) GABA autoreceptors are sited on GABAergic nerve endings in both the pars compacta and pars reticulata of the rat substantia nigra; (b) these autoreceptors belong to the GABAB type.