The effect of conformationally restricted amino acid. Analogues on the frog spinal cord in vitro

Medicinal chemistry of ρ GABAC receptors

The inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, is a low-molecular-weight molecule that can achieve many low-energy conformations, which are recognized by GABA receptors and transporters. In this article, we assess the structure–activity relationship profiles of GABA analogs at the ionotropic ρ GABAC receptor. Such studies have significantly contributed to the design and development of potent and selective agonists and antagonists for this subclass of GABA receptors. With these tools in hand, the role of ρ GABAC receptors is slowly being realized. Of particular interest is the development of selective phosphinic acid analogs of GABA and their potential use in sleep disorders, inhibiting the development of myopia, and in improving learning and memory.

Structure-activity studies on the activity of a series of cyclopentane GABA analogues on GABAA receptors and GABA uptake

A series of analogues of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been investigated for GABA mimetic activity on the isolated guinea-pig ileum, facilitation of [3H]diazepam binding in rat brain membranes and inhibition of [3H]GABA uptake from rat brain cortical slices. The derivatives tested include six racemic amino acids, all of which contain a 'GABA backbone' with the conformation restricted by a cyclopentane or cyclopentene ring system. From the more potent analogues, five optically pure compounds, including (+)-(4S)-4-aminocyclopent-1-ene-1-carboxylic acid and its (-)-4R enantiomer, have also been assessed as GABA agonists. Of the racemic analogues, 4-aminocyclopent-1-ene-1-carboxylic acid and trans-3-aminocyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid were the most potent at GABAA receptors, while most of the analogues had considerable activity on GABA uptake. The individual resolved isomers of 4-aminocyclopent-1-ene-carboxylic acid and of trans-3-aminocyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid displayed great specificity for GABA receptor and GABA uptake sites. For example (+)-(4S)-4-aminocyclopent-1-ene-1-carboxylic acid was approximately twice as potent as GABA and about 600 times more active than the (-)-4R isomer on the guinea-pig ileum, while it was not significantly active as a GABA uptake inhibitor at 500 microM. On the other hand, its (-)-4R isomer was selective for inhibiting GABA uptake with an IC50 equal to that of racemic nipecotic acid.

Depolarizing action of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) on myelinated fibers of peripheral nerves

The inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) has been shown to have a depolarizing action on myelinated axons of both mammalian and amphibian peripheral nerves. In initial in vivo observations intravenous injections of GABA caused an increase in the excitability of the low-threshold, fast conducting fibers of the superficial radial and median nerves of the cat. Similar, graded, reversible effects were confirmed (using changes in the amplitude/integral of the stimulus-evoked A-fiber submaximal compound action potential to assess excitability) in in vitro studies with the isolated, desheathed frog sciatic nerve. GABA caused a mean maximal increase in half-maximal action potential of 29.8% (S.E. +/- 2.7), with an ED50 value of 0.09 mM and Hill coefficient of 0.70. This effect did not appear to desensitize, and could be reversibly antagonized by both bicuculline and picrotoxin. Comparison of agonist sensitivities showed a rank order of potency with muscimol greater than 3-aminopropanesulfonic acid greater than GABA greater than beta-guanidinopropionic acid greater than imidazole-acetic acid greater than guanidoacetic acid greater than delta-aminovaleric acid. With structure activity analysis the maximal activity was found to be related to N+-C separation near the 5 A value. Partial substitution of chloride ions in the superfusate by isethionate reversibly depressed the effect of GABA. These observations support the conclusion that extrasynaptic receptors for GABA are present on the myelinated axons of peripheral nerves.

Cyclobutane analogs of GABA

Both cis- and trans-3-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid have been synthesized as conformationally restricted analogs of GABA. The cis isomer displayed weak to moderate GABA-like activity with respect to (1) inhibition of GABA uptake in rat brain minislices, (2) inhibition of sodium-independent binding of GABA to rat brain membranes, (3) activity as a substrate for GABA aminotransferase. and (4) depression of the firing rate of cat spinal neurons in vivo. The trans isomer was less effective on all four assays. The results has been interpreted in terms of the conformational "pinning back" of the polar groups by the cyclobutane ring in the trans GABA analog so that unfavorable steric interactions would occur between one of the methylene groups and a region of steric hindrance at the active sites for particular GABA processes.

gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid is not a GABA-mimetic agent in the spinal cord

gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a pharmacologically active central nervous system constituent, has been postulated to function as a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist. This hypothesis was tested directly on GABAergic synapses in isolated, superfused frog spinal cord. Addition of GHB to the superfusate produced effects on primary afferent terminals that were distinctly different from the effects of GABA. Thus, although both compounds depressed dorsal root potentials, GHB hyperpolarized terminals while GABA depolarized the same structures. The GABA responses were antagonized by bicuculline and picrotoxin, but these alkaloids did not change GHB's actions. In addition, GHB altered neither high-affinity uptake by cord slices, nor potassium-evoked release of tritiated GABA from them. GHB did not directly release GABA from spinal slices preloaded with [3H]GABA. These observations suggest that the central nervous system actions of GHB are not dependent upon its ability to activate GABAergic synapses or to modify GABAergic mechanisms.

Muscimol binding in rat brain: association with synaptic GABA receptors

[3H]Muscimol binding to crude synaptic membrane fractions of the rat central nervous is saturable with a high affinity dissociation constant of 2.2 nM. The regional distribution of this binding in rat brain and the effects of freezing, sodium and Triton X-100 are similar to those previously reported for [3H]GABA binding to the the synaptic GABA receptor site. Also, the substrate specificity of [3H]muscimol binding is identifical to that observed for the GABA receptor. Thus, [3H]muscimol is displaced, stereospecifically, only by those drugs and amino acids which are known to neurophysiologically interact with the synaptic GABA receptor but is unaffected by agents which activate or inhibit other neurotransmitter receptors. This suggests that the behavioral effects observed after the systemic administration of muscimol are probably the result of GABA receptor activation.

Effects of some conformationally restricted GABA analogues on GABA membrane binding and nerve ending transport

By using a series of aminocyclopentane- and aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acids, as well as some naturally occurring amino acids, it was possible to determine some aspects of the spatial topography of the GABA membrane binding and transport sites. The NA-independent GABA binding site was found to have a different spatial topography than the Na-dependent binding site in that trans-3-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid (trans-3-ACPC) was 7 times more potent than cis-3-ACPC to inhibit Na-independent binding, but only 1.6 times more potent to inhibit Na-dependent binding. The nerve ending GABA transport site was found to be similar to the Na-dependent GABA binding site in that it will accommodate both cis- and trans-3-ACPC. However, the transport site differs from the binding site in that cis-3-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (cis-3-ACHC) is a potent inhibitor of transport but a weak inhibitor of binding. In addition to the differences in spatial characteristics, differences in the subcellular distribution of Na-independent and Na-dependent binding sites were observed. The former were found primarily in the nerve ending-mitochondrial fraction, while the latter were primarily found in the microsomal fraction.