Following intravenous administration, 1-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylate (ACBC, 100 mg/kg), a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-associated glycine receptor antagonist, was eliminated with a T1/2 of 5 min in mouse brain and 4 min in rat cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC), a NMDA-associated glycine receptor agonist, was found to have a T1/2 of less than 5 min in mouse brain. ACC and ACBC did not alter basal cerebellar cGMP. Glycine and D-serine increased cGMP, and 1-hydroxy-3-aminopyrrolidone-2 (HA-966), a glycine antagonist, reversed the D-serine-induced increases in cGMP. In contrast, ACBC did not reverse the D-serine-induced increases in cGMP. These data suggest that despite their brain bioavailability and marked potency at the glycine receptor in vitro, ACC and ACBC are rapidly inactivated and thus have limited in vivo utility.

The present report investigates the modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the rat by sigma receptors, using a selective ligand, (+) pentazocine, and comparing the effects with (+) SKF 10, 047. Both compounds stimulate ACTH release potently after central and peripheral administration. These effects are centrally mediated, since they did not release ACTH from anterior pituitary primary cultures. The effects are not blocked by naloxone, but are blocked by the NMDA antagonist, CPP, indicating a centrally mediated functional interaction between NMDA and sigma receptors, in vivo.

BMY-14802 [alpha-(4-flurophenyl)-4-(5-fluoro-pyramidinyl)-1-piperazine butanol], a potent sigma ligand with poor affinity for dopamine and phencyclidine receptors in vitro, attenuated parenteral harmaline- and direct intracerebellar D-serine-induced increases in mouse cerebellar cGMP. Intracerebroventricularly injected BMY-14802 also antagonized the effects of intracerebellar D-serine, indicating a central mechanism. However, direct co-injection of BMY-14802 into the cerebellum failed to antagonize the D-serine-induced increases in cGMP, indicating a locus of action outside the cerebellum. In contrast, quisqualate-induced cGMP increases were not attenuated by BMY-14802. These results indicate a functional modulation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate/glycine/phencyclidine/ion channel complex-mediated events by BMY-14802, possibly through a transsynaptic mechanism, thus representing the first in vivo demonstration of a sigma ligand modulation of a response mediated through the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor complex.

The synthesis of nitric oxide by brain slices has been demonstrated in several laboratories. In addition, in vitro studies have demonstrated stimulation of nitric oxide synthesis by excitatory amino acid receptor agonists. These data have led to the hypothesis that this readily diffusible "intercellular messenger molecule" acts to generate a cascade effect by activating guanylate cyclase in several cell types and thereby augment levels of the second messenger cyclic GMP (cGMP). Therefore, we evaluated this hypothesis in vivo, by testing the actions of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N-mono-methyl-L-arginine (NMMA) on elevations in level of mouse cerebellar cGMP generated by excitatory amino acid receptor agonists. The stimulatory effects of D-serine, quisqualate, and kainate were all found to be antagonized by this enzyme inhibitor. In addition, NMMA antagonized the increases in cerebellar cGMP level elicited by harmaline and pentylenetetrazole, pharmacological agents that augment endogenous excitatory amino acid transmission. Our data are, therefore, the first in vivo demonstration that nitric oxide is an important "messenger molecule" in the cerebellum, mediating the actions of kainate, quisqualate, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor agonists on guanylate cyclase. These data are consistent with previous in vitro findings with kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate.

Intracerebellar injections of either NMDA or D-serine dramatically elevated levels of cGMP in the cerebellum of the mouse, in vivo. These actions were both antagonized by simultaneous injection of the NMDA-associated glycine receptor antagonist, HA-966. Intracerebellar injections of D-serine were also antagonized by peripheral (s.c.) injections of HA-966, demonstrating the bioavailability of this glycine receptor antagonist. Parenteral administration of HA-966 was also effective in antagonizing the actions of intravenously injected harmaline, an activator of the cerebellar climbing fiber pathway, on cGMP in the cerebellum. An evaluation of the parenteral dose-response curve for HA-966, revealed no effect on basal activity within the cerebellum. This contrasts sharply with the abilities of both competitive and non-competitive NMDA antagonists to decrease basal levels of cGMP in the cerebellum. In summary, these studies demonstrate that HA-966 is a bioavailable antagonist of the NMDA-associated glycine receptor and that this compound can limit excessive stimulation of the NMDA receptor by exogenous application of agonist, with minimal effects on basal activity. These data suggest that antagonists of the NMDA-associated glycine receptor may be optimal therapies in the treatment of stroke and epilepsy.

Direct intracerebellar injections of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or D-serine elicited dose-dependent increases in cerebellar cyclic GMP levels, in vivo in the mouse. The actions of D-serine were antagonized by the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl) propyl-1-phosphonic acid and by the phencyclidine receptor agonist MK-801, observations supporting actions at the NMDA-coupled glycine receptor. In addition, the actions of D-serine were antagonized by a partial agonist (D-cycloserine) and an antagonist (HA-966) of the NMDA-coupled glycine receptor. These data are all consistent with D-serine acting at the NMDA-coupled glycine receptor and represent the first demonstration of glycine receptor potentiation of ongoing NMDA-mediated neuronal activity in the CNS, rather than potentiation of exogenous NMDA.

L'Ifenprodil et le SL 820715 en tant qu'antagonistes de la reponse in vivo du complexe recepteur glycine-aspartate («N»-methyl)