Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition resulting from neuronal damage. Pregabalin, the (S)-isomer of 3-isobutyl-γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), is widely used to treat neuropathic pain, despite the occurrence of central nervous system (CNS)-related side effects such as dizziness and somnolence. Here we describe the pharmacology of novel GABA derivatives containing silicon-carbon bonds, silagaba compounds. Silagaba131, 132, and 161 showed pregabalin-like analgesic activities in animal models of neuropathic pain, but in contrast to pregabalin they did not impair neuromuscular coordination in rotarod tests. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that brain exposure to silagaba compounds was lower than that to pregabalin. Surprisingly, despite their potent analgesic action in vivo, silagaba compounds showed only weak binding to α2-δ protein. These compounds may be useful to study mechanisms of neuropathic pain. Our results also indicate that silagaba132 and 161 are candidates for orally effective treatment of neuropathic pain without CNS-related side effects.

GABAA receptors mediate fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain. Dysfunction of these receptors is associated with various psychiatric/neurological disorders and drugs targeting this receptor are widely used therapeutic agents. Both the efficacy and plasticity of GABAA receptor-mediated neurotransmission depends on the number of surface GABAA receptors. An understudied aspect of receptor cell surface expression is the post-translational regulation of receptor biogenesis within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We have previously shown that exogenous GABA can act as a ligand chaperone of recombinant GABAA receptors in the early secretory pathway leading us to now investigate whether endogenous GABA facilitates the biogenesis of GABAA receptors in primary cerebral cortical cultures. In immunofluorescence labeling experiments, we have determined that neurons expressing surface GABAA receptors contain both GABA and its degradative enzyme GABA transaminase (GABA-T). Treatment of neurons with GABA-T inhibitors, a treatment known to increase intracellular GABA levels, decreases the interaction of the receptor with the ER quality control protein calnexin, concomittantly increasing receptor forward-trafficking and plasma membrane insertion. The effect of GABA-T inhibition on the receptor/calnexin interaction is not due to the activation of surface GABAA or GABAB receptors. Consistent with our hypothesis that GABA acts as a cognate ligand chaperone in the ER, immunogold-labeling of rodent brain slices reveals the presence of GABA within the rough ER. The density of this labeling is similar to that present in mitochondria, the organelle in which GABA is degraded. Lastly, the effect of GABA-T inhibition on the receptor/calnexin interaction was prevented by pretreatment with a GABA transporter inhibitor. Together, these data indicate that endogenous GABA acts in the rough ER as a cognate ligand chaperone to facilitate the biogenesis of neuronal GABAA receptors.

Synaptic dysfunction triggers neuronal damage in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis (MS). While excessive glutamate signaling has been reported in the striatum of EAE, it is still uncertain whether GABA synapses are altered. Electrophysiological recordings showed a reduction of spontaneous GABAergic synaptic currents (sIPSCs) recorded from striatal projection neurons of mice with MOG((35-55))-induced EAE. GABAergic sIPSC deficits started in the acute phase of the disease (20-25days post immunization, dpi), and were exacerbated at later time-points (35, 50, 70 and 90dpi). Of note, in slices they were independent of microglial activation and of release of TNF-α. Indeed, sIPSC inhibition likely involved synaptic inputs arising from GABAergic interneurons, because EAE preferentially reduced sIPSCs of high amplitude, and was associated with a selective loss of striatal parvalbumin (PV)-positive GABAergic interneurons, which contact striatal projection neurons in their somatic region, giving rise to more efficient synaptic inhibition. Furthermore, we found also that the chronic persistence of pro-inflammatory cytokines were able, per se, to produce profound alterations of electrophysiological network properties, that were reverted by GABA administration. The results of the present investigation indicate defective GABA transmission in MS models depending from alteration of PV cells number and, in part, deriving from the effects of a chronic inflammation, and suggest that pharmacological agents potentiating GABA signaling might be considered to limit neuronal damage in MS patients.

The homomeric GABA-ρ ligand-gated ion channels (also known as GABAC or GABAA -ρ receptors) are similar to heteromeric GABAA receptors in structure, function and mechanism of action. However, their distinctive pharmacological properties and distribution make them of special interest. This review focuses on GABA-ρ ion channel structure, ligand selectivity toward ρ receptors over heteromeric GABAA receptor sub-types and selectivity between different homomeric ρ sub-type receptors. Several GABA analogues show selectivity at homomeric GABA-ρ receptors over heteromeric GABAA receptors. More recently, some synthetic ligands have been found to show selectivity at receptors formed from one ρ subtype over others. The unique pharmacological profiles of these agents are discussed in this review. The classical binding site of GABA within the orthosteric site of GABA-ρ homomeric receptors is discussed in detail regarding the loops and residues that constitute the binding site. The ligand-residue interactions in this classical binding and those of mutant receptors are discussed. The structure and conformations of GABA are discussed in regard to its flexibility and molecular properties. Although the binding mode of GABA is difficult to predict, several interactions between GABA and the receptor assist in predicting its potential conformation and mode of action. The structure-activity relationships of GABA and structurally key ligands at ρ receptors are described and discussed.

Colchicine is a microtubule depolymerizing agent used extensively in the study of cytoskeleton-dependent cell functions. In studying the possible functional interaction between the GABA(A) receptor and the cytoskeleton, we found that colchicine inhibits GABA(A) receptor function by mechanisms independent of microtubule depolymerization. Human GABA(A) receptor alpha1beta2gamma2L subunits were co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes and the effects of colchicine on GABA(A) receptor function was assessed using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Co-application of GABA (10 microM) with colchicine (100 microM) resulted in a 59.9% inhibition of GABA-gated chloride currents. This effect was instantaneous in onset with no pre-incubation required and reversed within seconds. Other depolymerizing agents, such as nocodazole (20 microM) and vinblastine (200 microM), did not affect GABA(A) receptor function using the same co-application protocol used with colchicine. The polymerizing agent taxol (10-50 microM) did not affect colchicine inhibition of the GABA responses and did not itself alter GABA-gated chloride currents. The inhibitory effect of colchicine was present under conditions in which the oocyte microtubules had been depolymerized by cold temperature. These results indicate that colchicine inhibits the GABA(A) receptor via mechanisms unrelated to microtubule depolymerization. To further examine the inhibitory effect of colchicine on the GABA response, GABA (10-3000 microM) concentration-response curves were performed in the absence or presence of various concentrations of colchicine (30-300 microM). In the presence of colchicine, the GABA concentration-response curve was shifted to the right in a parallel fashion. A Schild plot of this data yielded a linear slope indicating that colchicine acts as a competitive antagonist at the GABA binding site. We conclude that colchicine is a competitive antagonist at the GABA(A) receptor and that studies using colchicine to examine the functional interaction between GABA(A) receptors and microtubules should be interpreted with caution.

The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor (GABA(A)R) contains the recognition sites for a variety of agents used in the treatment of brain disorders, including anxiety and epilepsy. A better understanding of how receptor expression is regulated in individual neurons may provide novel opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Towards this goal we have studied transcription of a GABA(A)R subunit gene (GABRB1) whose activity is autologously regulated by GABA via a 10 base pair initiator-like element (β(1)-INR).

BIDN (3,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)bicyclo[2,2,1]heptane-2,2-dicarbonitrile) at 10(-5) M blocked GABA-induced inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) recorded from an identified, giant interneuron (G12) of the cockroach (Periplaneta americana). The same concentration of this bicyclic dinitrile also blocked Cl- -mediated responses of G12 to GABA applied by pressure microinjection into the terminal abdominal ganglion neuropile containing dendrites of G12. BIDN (10(-5) M) was without effect on a response of G12 to GABA known to be mediated by a GABAB type receptor. In studies of the cell body of an identified motor neurone, the fast coxal depressor (Df) in the cockroach metathoracic ganglion, BIDN (10(-5) M) blocked reversibly an extrasynaptic GABA-gated Cl- channel, but not an extrasynaptic L-glutamate-gated Cl- channel. Glycine-gated Cl- channels observed when rat brain messenger RNA was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes were unaffected by BIDN at concentrations up to 10(-4) M, whereas this same concentration of BIDN completely blocked GABA-gated Cl- responses recorded from the same preparations. Unlike picrotoxin, which antagonises a variety of ligand-gated Cl- channels, to date BIDN has been found to block only Cl- channels gated by GABA, both in insect and vertebrate preparations.

1. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors involved in craniovascular nociceptive pathways were characterised by in vivo microiontophoresis of GABA receptor agonists and antagonists onto neurones in the trigeminocervical complex of the cat. 2. Extracellular recordings were made from neurones in the trigeminocervical complex activated by supramaximal electrical stimulation of superior sagittal sinus, which were subsequently stimulated with L-glutamate. 3. Cell firing evoked by microiontophoretic application of L-glutamate (n=30) was reversibly inhibited by GABA in every cell tested (n=19), the GABA(A) agonist muscimol (n=10) in all cells tested, or both where tested, but not by iontophoresis of either sodium or chloride ions at comparable ejection currents. Inhibited cells received wide dynamic range (WDR) or nociceptive specific input from cutaneous receptive fields on the face or forepaws. 4. The inhibition of trigeminal neurones by GABA or muscimol could be antagonized by the GABA(A) antagonist N-methylbicuculline, 1(S),9(R) in all but two cells tested (n=16), but not by the GABA(B) antagonist 2-hydroxysaclofen (n=11). 5. R(-)-baclofen, a GABA(B) agonist, inhibited the firing of three out of seven cells activated by L-glutamate. Where tested, this inhibition could be antagonized by 2-hydroxysaclofen. These baclofen-inhibited cells were characterized as having low threshold mechanoreceptor/WDR input. 6. GABA thus appears to modulate nociceptive input to the trigeminocervical complex mainly through GABA(A) receptors. GABA(A) receptors may therefore provide a target for the development of new therapeutic agents for primary headache disorders.

Dyskinesia is involuntary movement caused by long-term medication with dopamine-related agents: the dopamine agonist 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) to treat Parkinson's disease (L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia [LID]) or dopamine antagonists to treat schizophrenia (tardive dyskinesia [TD]). However, it remains unknown why distinct types of medications for distinct neuropsychiatric disorders induce similar involuntary movements. Here, we search for a shared structural footprint using magnetic resonance imaging-based macroscopic screening and super-resolution microscopy-based microscopic identification. We identify the enlarged axon terminals of striatal medium spiny neurons in LID and TD model mice. Striatal overexpression of the vesicular gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter (VGAT) is necessary and sufficient for modeling these structural changes; VGAT levels gate the functional and behavioral alterations in dyskinesia models. Our findings indicate that lowered type 2 dopamine receptor signaling with repetitive dopamine fluctuations is a common cause of VGAT overexpression and late-onset dyskinesia formation and that reducing dopamine fluctuation rescues dyskinesia pathology via VGAT downregulation.

Type A GABA receptors (GABA A Rs) are the principal inhibitory receptors in the brain and the target of a wide range of clinical agents, including anesthetics, sedatives, hypnotics, and antidepressants. However, our understanding of GABA A R pharmacology has been hindered by the vast number of pentameric assemblies that can be derived from a total 19 different subunits and the lack of structural knowledge of clinically relevant receptors. Here, we isolate native murine GABA A R assemblies containing the widely expressed α 1 subunit, and elucidate their structures in complex with drugs used to treat insomnia (zolpidem and flurazepam) and postpartum depression (the neurosteroid allopregnanolone). Using cryo-EM analysis and single-molecule photobleaching experiments, we uncover only three structural populations in the brain: the canonical α 1 β2γ 2 receptor containing two α 1 subunits and two unanticipated assemblies containing one α 1 and either an α 2 , α 3 or α 5 subunit. Both of the noncanonical assemblies feature a more compact arrangement between the transmembrane and extracellular domains. Interestingly, allopregnanolone is bound at the transmembrane α/β subunit interface, even when not added to the sample, revealing an important role for endogenous neurosteroids in modulating native GABA A Rs. Together with structurally engaged lipids, neurosteroids produce global conformational changes throughout the receptor that modify both the pore diameter and binding environments for GABA and insomnia medications. Together, our data reveal that GABA A R assembly is a strictly regulated process that yields a small number of structurally distinct complexes, defining a structural landscape from which subtype-specific drugs can be developed.

Inhibitory A type γ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABAARs) play a pivotal role in orchestrating various brain functions and represent an important molecular target in neurological and psychiatric diseases, necessitating the need for the discovery and development of novel modulators. Here, we show that a natural compound curcumol, acts as an allosteric enhancer of GABAARs in a manner distinct from benzodiazepines. Curcumol markedly facilitated GABA-activated currents and shifted the GABA concentration-response curve to the left in cultured hippocampal neurons. When co-applied with the classical benzodiazepine diazepam, curcumol further potentiated GABA-induced currents. In contrast, in the presence of a saturating concentration of menthol, a positive modulator for GABAAR, curcumol failed to further enhance GABA-induced currents, suggesting shared mechanisms underlying these two agents on GABAARs. Moreover, the benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil did not alter the enhancement of GABA response by curcumol and menthol, but abolished that by DZP. Finally, mutations at the β2 or γ2 subunit predominantly eliminated modulation of recombinant GABAARs by curcumol and menthol, or diazepam, respectively. Curcumol may therefore exert its actions on GABAARs at sites distinct from benzodiazepine sites. These findings shed light on the future development of new therapeutics drugs targeting GABAARs.

GABA(A) receptors mediate both synaptic and extrasynaptic actions of GABA. In several neuronal populations, α4 and δ subunits are key components of extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors that strongly influence neuronal excitability and could mediate the effects of neuroactive agents including neurosteroids and ethanol. However, these receptors can be difficult to study in native cells and recombinant δ subunits can be difficult to express in heterologous systems.

Accumulated evidence has suggested that potentiation of cortical GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission may be a key mechanism in the treatment of schizophrenia. However, the downstream molecular mechanisms related to GABA potentiation remain unexplored. Recent studies have suggested that dopamine D2 receptor antagonists, which are used in the clinical treatment of schizophrenia, modulate protein kinase B (Akt)/glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3 signaling. Here we report that activation of GABA(B) receptors significantly inhibits Akt/GSK-3 signaling in a β-arrestin-dependent pathway. Agonist stimulation of GABA(B) receptors enhances the phosphorylation of Akt (Thr-308) and enhances the phosphorylation of GSK-3α (Ser-21)/β (Ser-9) in both HEK-293T cells expressing GABA(B) receptors and rat hippocampal slices. Furthermore, knocking down the expression of β-arrestin2 using siRNA abolishes the GABA(B) receptor-mediated modulation of GSK-3 signaling. Our data may help to identify potentially novel targets through which GABA(B) receptor agents may exert therapeutic effects in the treatment of schizophrenia.

The molecular agents that induce loss of consciousness during anesthesia are classically believed to act by binding to cognate transmembrane receptors widely distributed in the CNS and critically suppressing local processing and network connectivity. However, previous work has shown that microinjection of anesthetics into a localized region of the brainstem mesopontine tegmentum (MPTA) rapidly and reversibly induces anesthesia in the absence of global spread. This implies that functional extinction is determined by neural pathways rather than vascular distribution of the anesthetic agent. But does clinical (systemic-induced) anesthesia employ MPTA-linked circuitry? Here we show that cell-selective lesioning of the MPTA in rats does not, in itself, induce anesthesia or coma. However, it increases the systemic dose of pentobarbital required to induce anesthesia, in a manner proportional to the extent of the lesion. Such lesions also affect emergence, extending the duration of anesthesia. Off-target and sham lesions were ineffective. Combined with the prior microinjection data, we conclude that drug delivery to the MPTA is sufficient to induce loss-of-consciousness and that neurons in this locus are necessary for anesthetic induction at clinically relevant doses. Together, the results support an architecture for anesthesia with the MPTA serving as a key node in an endogenous network of dedicated pathways that switch between wake and unconsciousness. As such, the MPTA might also play a role in syncope, concussion and sleep.

Local application of GABA to rat cerebral cortical neurons in brain slices elicited biphasic responses mediated via GABAA receptors. The fast component of the response, which was most apparent with somatic application of GABA, was hyperpolarizing at the normal resting membrane potential (GABAh response). The slower component could be elicited by GABA application to nearly all regions of the cell, and was depolarizing at the resting membrane potential (GABAd response). The reversal potential of evoked IPSCs recorded with whole-cell patch electrodes (-68 mV) was comparable to the reversal potential of the GABAh response (-69 mV), and was significantly different from the reversal potential of the GABAd response (-56 mV). The GABAd response was more sensitive to enhancement by pentobarbital and more readily antagonized by both bicuculline and picrotoxin than the GABAh response. Recording in bicarbonate-free buffer changed the reversal potential of the GABAd response significantly, but had no effect on the GABAh response. In contrast, superfusion with ethanol significantly enhanced the GABAh response, while having no effect on the GABAd component. Although a localized collapse of the Cl- gradient, which has been proposed to underlie the GABAd response, could explain the greater sensitivity of the GABAd response to pentobarbital and the GABAA antagonists, this could not account for the greater sensitivity of the GABAh response to ethanol. Differences in GABAA receptor subunit composition may result in the expression of dendritic and somatic GABAA receptors that have different kinetics, reversal potentials, and sensitivity to pharmacological agents, including ethanol.

Recent reports identified activation of the GABA signaling pathway as a means to induce transdifferentiation of pancreatic α cells into β cells. These reports followed several previous studies that found that α cells were particularly well suited to conversion into β cells in mice, but only after nearly complete β cell loss or forced overexpression of key transcriptional regulators. The possibility of increasing β cell number via reprograming of α cells with a small molecule is enticing, as this could be a potential new pharmacologic therapy for diabetes. Here, we employed rigorous genetic lineage tracing of α cells, using Glucagon-CreERT2;Rosa-LSL-eYFP mice, to evaluate if activation of GABA signaling caused α-to-β cell reprogramming. In contrast to previous reports, we found that even after long-term treatment of mice with artesunate or GABA, neither α-to-β cell transdifferentiation nor insulin secretion were stimulated, putting into question whether these agents represent a viable path to a novel diabetes therapy.

Previous studies demonstrated that pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), a GABA type A receptor (GABAAR) antagonist, elicits seizure-like phenotypes in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). Here, we determined whether the GABAAR antagonists, tetramethylenedisulfotetramine (TETS) and picrotoxin (PTX), both listed as credible chemical threat agents, similarly trigger seizures in zebrafish larvae. Larvae of three, routinely used laboratory zebrafish lines, Tropical 5D, NHGRI and Tupfel long fin, were exposed to varying concentrations of PTZ (used as a positive control), PTX or TETS for 20 min at 5 days post fertilization (dpf). Acute exposure to PTZ, PTX or TETS triggered seizure behavior in the absence of morbidity or mortality. While the concentration-effect relationship for seizure behavior was similar across zebrafish lines for each GABAAR antagonist, significantly less TETS was required to trigger seizures relative to PTX or PTZ. Recordings of extracellular field potentials in the optic tectum of 5 dpf Tropical 5D zebrafish confirmed that all three GABAAR antagonists elicited extracellular spiking patterns consistent with seizure activity, although the pattern varied between chemicals. Post-exposure treatment with the GABAAR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs), diazepam, midazolam or allopregnanolone, attenuated seizure behavior and activity but did not completely normalize electrical field recordings in the optic tectum. These data are consistent with observations of seizure responses in mammalian models exposed to these same GABAAR antagonists and PAMs, further validating larval zebrafish as a higher throughput-screening platform for antiseizure therapeutics, and demonstrating its appropriateness for identifying improved countermeasures for TETS and other convulsant chemical threat agents that trigger seizures via GABAAR antagonism.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been successfully used for the alleviation of pain and inflammation in the past and continue to be used daily by millions of patients worldwide. However, gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity associated with NSAIDs is an important medical and socioeconomic problem. Local generation of various reactive oxygen species plays a significant role in the formation of gastric ulceration associated with NSAIDs therapy. Co-medication of antioxidants along with NSAIDs has been found to be beneficial in the prevention of GI injury. This paper describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of N-1-(phenylsulfonyl)-2-methylamino-substituted-1H-benzimidazole derivatives as anti-inflammatory analgesic agents with lower GI toxicity. Studies in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that the antioxidant activity of the test compounds decreased GI toxicity.

Proper brain functioning requires a fine-tuning between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, a balance maintained through the regulation and release of glutamate and GABA. Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene affecting the postnatal brain development. Dysfunctions in the GABAergic and glutamatergic systems have been implicated in the neuropathology of RTT and a disruption of the balance between excitation and inhibition, together with a perturbation of the electrophysiological properties of GABA and glutamate neurons, were reported in the brain of the Mecp2-deficient mouse. However, to date, the extent and the nature of the GABA/glutamate deficit affecting the Mecp2-deficient mouse brain are unclear. In order to better characterize these deficits, we simultaneously analyzed the GABA and glutamate levels in Mecp2-deficient mice at 2 different ages (P35 and P55) and in several brain areas. We used a multilevel approach including the quantification of GABA and glutamate levels, as well as the quantification of the mRNA and protein expression levels of key genes involved in the GABAergic and glutamatergic pathways. Our results show that Mecp2-deficient mice displayed regional- and age-dependent variations in the GABA pathway and, to a lesser extent, in the glutamate pathway. The implication of the GABA pathway in the RTT neuropathology was further confirmed using an in vivo treatment with a GABA reuptake inhibitor that significantly improved the lifespan of Mecp2-deficient mice. Our results confirm that RTT mouse present a deficit in the GABAergic pathway and suggest that GABAergic modulators could be interesting therapeutic agents for this severe neurological disorder.

We investigated how the synthesis of cAMP, stimulated by isoproterenol acting through beta-adrenoreceptors and Gs, is strongly amplified by simultaneous incubation with baclofen. Baclofen is an agonist of delta-aminobutyric acid type B receptors [GABAB], known to inhibit adenylyl cyclase via Gi. Because these agents have opposite effects on cAMP levels, the unexpected increase in cAMP synthesis when they are applied simultaneously has been intensively investigated. From previous reports, it appears that cyclase type II contributes most significantly to this phenomenon.