• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.268-274
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• 2015

${\gamma}$-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, is involved in sleep physiology. Caffeine is widely used psychoactive substance known to induce wakefulness and insomnia to its consumers. This study was performed to examine whether GABA extracts from fermented rice germ ameliorates caffeine-induced sleep disturbance in mice, without affecting spontaneous locomotor activity and motor coordination. Indeed, caffeine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) delayed sleep onset and reduced sleep duration of mice. Conversely, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA treatment (10, 30, or 100 mg/kg, p.o.), especially at 100 mg/kg, normalized the sleep disturbance induced by caffeine. In locomotor tests, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA slightly but not significantly reduced the caffeine-induced increase in locomotor activity without affecting motor coordination. Additionally, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA per se did not affect the spontaneous locomotor activity and motor coordination of mice. In conclusion, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA supplementation can counter the sleep disturbance induced by caffeine, without affecting the general locomotor activities of mice.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.138-142
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• 2005

Adenosine and GABA are known to be major inhitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and its receptors mediate various neurophamacological effects including cardiovascular modulatory effects. Inhibitory cardiovascular effects induced by intrathecal (i.t.) administration of adenosine $A_1$ receptor agonist and its modulation by cyclic AMP was suggested by our previous report. In this experiment, we examined the modulation of cardiovascular effects of adenosine $A_1$ receptor and adenosine $A_2$ receptor by $GABA_B$ receptors antagonist in the spinal cord. I.t. administration of 10 nmol of $N^6$-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA, an adenosine $A_1$ receptor agonist), I.t. administration of 2 nmol of 5'-(N-cyclopropyl)-carboxamidoadenosine (CPCA, an adenosine $A_2$ receptor agonist), pretreatment with 5-aminovaleric acid (a $GABA_B$ receptor antagonist, 50 nmol, i.t.) prior to administration of CHA and pretreatment with 5-aminovaleric acid (a $GABA_B$ receptor antagonist, 50 nmol, i.t.) prior to administration of CPCA were performed in anesthetized, artificially ventilated Sprague-Dawley rats. I.t. administration of 50 nmol of 5-aminovaleric acid significantly attenuated the inhibitory cardiovascular effects of CHA but did not attenuated the inhibitory cardiovascular effects of CPCA. It is suggested that cardiovascular responses of adenosine $A_1$ receptor is modulated by $GABA_B$ receptor and adenosine $A_2$ receptor is not modulated by $GABA_B$ receptor in the spinal cord.

• BMB Reports
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• 제36권3호
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• pp.319-325
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• 2003

Changes in the concentrations of $\gamma$-aminobutyric acid (GABA), soluble calcium ions, glutamic acid, and the activity of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) were investigated in non-germinated vs. germinated brown rice. Brown rice was germinated for 72 h by applying each of the following solutions: (1) distilled water, (2) 5 mM lactic acid, (3) 50 ppm chitosan in 5 mM lactic acid, (4) 5 mM glutamic acid, and (5) 50 ppm chitosan in 5 mM glutamic acid. GABA concentrations were enhanced in all of the germinated brown rice when compared to the non-germinated brown rice. The GABA concentration was highest in the chitosan/glutamic acid that germinated brown rice at 2,011 nmol/g fresh weight, which was 13 times higher than the GABA concentration in the non-germinated brown rice at 154 nmol/g fresh weight. The concentrations of glutamic acid were significantly decreased in all of the germinated rice, regardless of the germination solution. Soluble calcium and GAD were higher in the germinated brown rice with the chitosan/glutamic acid solution when compared to the rice that was germinated in the other solutions. GAD that was partially purified from germinated brown rice was stimulated about 3.6-fold by the addition of calmodulin in the presence of calcium. These data show that the germination of brown rice in a chitosan/glutamic acid solution can significantly increase GABA synthesis activity and the concentration of GABA.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.21-30
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• 1998

The effects of GABA and glutamate on the horizontal cells were explored by an intracellular recording method to discern the mechanisms of receptive field formation by chemical coupling in the catfish outer retina. The results suggest that the horizontal cells of the catfish retina might use GABA as their transmitters and that the GABAergic system contributes to the formation of receptive fields of the horizontal cells. GABAC receptors may be involved in a chemical coupling between horizontal cells and concerned with the depolarizing actions by GABA on horizontal cells in the catfish retina. Since the chloride equilibrium potential is more positive than the dark membrane potential in horizontal cells, GABA released from a horizontal cell may depolarize the neighboring horizontal cells. Thus a chemical coupling between horizontal cells may be formed. $GABA_A$ receptors also may be involved in the negative feedback mechanism between photoreceptor and horizontal cell. And glutamate may be involved in connecting positive and negative feedback systems since it potentiated the GABA's actions. Therefore, it is presumed that large receptive fields in the catfish retina are formed not only by electrical coupling but also by chemical coupling between horizontal cells. And information travels laterally by pathways involving both electrical coupling composed of gap junctions and chemical coupling in the retinal network.

• 대한불안의학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.25-30
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• 2005

In the 40 years since the first benzodiazepine was brought into clinical use there has been a substantial growth in understanding the molecular basis of action of these drugs and the role of their receptors in anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepine receptors are present throughout the brain with the highest concentration in cortex, and it potentiate and prolong the synaptic action of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Central benzodiazepine receptors and $GABA_A$ receptors are part of the same macromolecular complex. Abnormalities of these $GABA_A$-benzodiazepine receptors as a result of drug challenge tests and neuroimaging studies may underlie some anxiety disorders. The role of $GABA_A$-benzodiazepine receptors in the action of benzodiazepine and as a factor in anxiety disorder, in both animal and humans including knock-out and knock in technique, may lead to new anxiolytics that have potentially significant therapeutic gains without unwanted side effects.

• 한국버섯학회지
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.181-186
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• 2013

${\gamma}$-Aminobutyric acid(GABA) is a four carbon non-protein amino acid that has several well-known physiological functions, such as a postsynaptic inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and induction of hypotensive and tranquilizer effects. A lactic acid bacterium was isolated from button mushroom bed, which is showing high GABA productivity by TLC or HPLC analysis. The strain was identified as Lactobacillus hilgardii by analysis of 16S rDNA gene sequence. When the maximum production of GABA by L. hilgardii was investigated with various concentration of monosodium glutamate, the yield of GABA reached to be 53.65 mM at 1% mono sodium glutamate (MSG) in flask cultivation. A Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) enzyme, which was known to convert MSG to GABA, was purified from a cell-free extract of L. hilgardii and the molecular weights of purified GAD was estimated to 60,000 by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature of GAD were at pH4.6 and at $37^{\circ}C$, respectively. The GAD activity was increased by the addition of sulfate ions such as ammonium sulfate, sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate, indicating that the increase of hydrophobic interaction causes the increase of GAD activity.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.119-123
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• 2003

To investigate the effects of the supplementation of carnitine and/or ${\gamma}$ -aminobutric acid (GABA), Sprague-Dawley male rats were orally treated with either an AIN-76 diet (control), a control diet plus ethanol (CE, 4 g ethanol/kg bw), CE plus L-carnitine (CEC, 0.5 g/kg bw), CE plus GABA (CEG, 0.5 g/kg bw), or CE plus L-carnitine plus GABA (CECG, 0.25 g/kg bw each) for 6 weeks. Serum triglyceride levels were increased in the CE group and were decreased significantly in the CEC, CEG and CECG groups. HDL-cholesterol was increased and LDL-cholesterol was decreased in the CEG and CECG groups compared with the CE group. Serum GOT and GPT levels increased by the chronic ethanol administration were decreased in the CEC group. In addition, we have evaluated the mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I in those groups. Supplementation of carnitine/GABA had some recovery effects on the liver CPT-I mRNA levels which decreased by chronic ethanol administration. These results may suggest that supplementations of either L-carnitine or GABA aye effective on the recovery of chronic ethanol-related symptoms, but no combined effects were shown.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제42권6호
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• pp.688-692
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of molecular weight and concentrations of chitosan on the germination of brown rice. Brown rice was germinated at $30^{\circ}C$ for three days in various chitosan solutions. The germination rate of the brown rice increased with increasing concentrations of chitosan solution, and was higher in the chitosan solution than in water. GABA content increased with increasing germination time and chitosan solution concentration. As the molecular weight of the chitosan decreased, germination rate and GABA content increased in the brown rice. The GABA content of germinated brown rice using low molecular weight chitosan A in a 100 ppm solution was 5145.5 nmole/g. This is approximately a five times higher value than that of the water-germinated brown rice. Texture properties were enhanced in all the germinated brown rice samples in chitosan solution compared to the brown rice germinated in water. These results indicate that chitosan solution treatment can increase germination rate and GABA synthesis activity in brown rice during germination, and can also improve the texture properties of brown rice.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.208-214
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological and sleep-promoting effects of combined ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) using caffeine-induced sleepless fruit flies, ICR mice, and Sprague-Dawley rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Video-tracking analysis was applied to investigate behavioral changes of Drosophila melanogaster. Pentobarbital-induced sleep test and electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns were used for analysis of sleep latency, duration, and quantity and quality of sleep in vertebrate models. RESULTS: Administration of combined GABA/5-HTP could significantly reverse the caffeine induced total distance of flies (P < 0.001). Also, individually administered and combined GABA/5-HTP significantly increased the total sleeping time in the caffeine-induced sleepless ICR mice (P < 0.001). In the caffeine-induced sleepless SD-rats, combined GABA/5-HTP showed significant differences in sleep quality between individual amino acid administrations (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, we identified inhibitory effects of combined GABA/5-HTP in locomotor activity, sleep quantity and quality in caffeine-induced sleepless models, indicating that combined GABA/5-HTP may be effective in patients with insomnia by providing sufficient sleep.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.127-132
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• 2013

Ginsenosides, one of the active ingredients of Panax ginseng, show various pharmacological and physiological effects, and they are converted into compound K (CK) or protopanaxatriol (M4) by intestinal microorganisms. CK is a metabolite derived from protopanaxadiol (PD) ginsenosides, whereas M4 is a metabolite derived from protopanaxatriol (PT) ginsenosides. The ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid $receptor_C$ ($GABA_C$) is primarily expressed in retinal bipolar cells and several regions of the brain. However, little is known of the effects of ginsenoside metabolites on $GABA_C$ receptor channel activity. In the present study, we examined the effects of CK and M4 on the activity of human recombinant $GABA_C$ receptor (${\rho}$ 1) channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes by using a 2-electrode voltage clamp technique. In oocytes expressing $GABA_C$ receptor cRNA, we found that CK or M4 alone had no effect in oocytes. However, co-application of either CK or M4 with GABA inhibited the GABA-induced inward peak current ($I_{GABA}$). Interestingly, pre-application of M4 inhibited $I_{GABA}$ more potently than CK in a dose- dependent and reversible manner. The half-inhibitory concentration ($IC_{50}$) values of CK and M4 were $52.1{\pm}2.3$ and $45.7{\pm}3.9{\mu}M$, respectively. Inhibition of $I_{GABA}$ by CK and M4 was voltage-independent and non-competitive. This study implies that ginsenoside metabolites may regulate $GABA_C$ receptor channel activity in the brain, including in the eyes.