• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2004.12a
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• pp.7-11
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• 2004

We previously reported that ginseng inhibited NMDA receptors in cultured hippocampal neurons. Here, we further examined the detailed mechanism of ginseng-mediated inhibition using its main active ingredient, ginsenoside Rg$_3$. Co-application of ginsenoside Rg$_3$ with increasing concentrations of NMDA did not change the EC$_{50}$ of NMDA to the receptor, suggesting ginsenoside Rg$_3$ inhibits NMDA receptors without competing with the NMDA-binding site. Ginsenoside Rg$_3$-mediated inhibition also occurred in a distinctive manner from the well-characterized NMDA receptor open channel blocker, MK-801, However, ginsenoside Rg$_3$ produced its effect in a glycine concentration-dependent manner and shifted the glycine concentration-response curve to the right without changing the maximal response, suggesting the role of ginsenoside Rg$_3$ as a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. We also demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg$_3$ significantly protected neurons against NMDA insults. Therefore, these results suggest that ginsenoside Rg$_3$ protects NMDA-induced neuronal death via a competitive interaction with the glycine-binding site of NMDA receptors in cultured hippocampal neurons.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 1997

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated glutamatergic neurotransmission is involved in synaptic plasticity, developmental processes, learning and memory and many neuropathological disorders including age-related diseases. In the present study, regulation of the NMDA receptor properties by various ligands was investigated using $[^3H]MK-801$ binding studies in the synaptic membranes of young and aged rat forebrains. The binding in the presence of glutamate and glycine increased dramatically with growth between 1 and 6 weeks old, and thereafter declined gradually with aging. Glutamate, glycine or spermine respectively increased the binding with growth. Glutamate maintained the binding during aging, while glycine or spermine significantly decreased the binding in the aged brain. The maximum stimulation by glycine varied depending on the ages of brains. Greater sensitivity to glycine was observed at 1 week and 3 months and the sensitivity was significantly reduced in the aged brain. In contrast, spermine showed similar stimulation patterns in young and aged rats. These results indicated that the functional properties of the NMDA receptor-ion channel complex in young and aged rat forebrains are differentially regulated by agonists, and the reduction of the receptor function with normal aging may be, in some degree, due to the reduction of the receptor sensitivity to glycine.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-34
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• 2000

An efficient procedure for the preparation of 7,8-dichloro-6-nitro-1H-1,5-benzodiazepine-2,4-(3H, 5H)-dione(7) as a potential lead compound for the NMDA receptor glycine binding site antagonist, starting from readily available 4,5-dichloro-2-nitroaniline(8), is described. The key step in the synthesis involves the cyclization of malonic ester amide 10 to compound 11.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.112-115
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• 2000

A synthetic procedure for the preparation of indole-2,3-dione derivatives 6 as a potential NMDA receptor glycine site antagonist with improved pharmacological profile compared with 2-carboxyindole derivative 5, starting from readily available 3,5-dichloroaniline (7), is described.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2009

I evaluated the protective effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)/glycine receptor antagonist, 7-chlorokinurenic acid (CKA) on cultured mouse astrocytes damaged by ischemia-like condition (ILC). The protective effect of CKA was assessed by cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and lipid peroxidation. To examine the effect of CKA on the cell apoptosis, the expression and the activity of caspase 3 were assessed by Western blotting. CKA increased the cell viability decreased by ILC. CKA also decreased the LDH activity and antioxidative effects such as SOD-like activity and inhibitory activity of lipid peroxidation. In addition, CKA suppressed the expression of caspase 3 associated with apoptosis, and increased the cell viability by the decrease of caspase 3 activity as like the caspase 3 inhibitor, Av-DVED-MED. From these results, these results suggest that ILS induces cell cytotoxicity in cultured astrocytes and CKA, NMDA/glycine receptor antagonist, is effective on the prevention of the cytotoxicity due to ILS by the antioxidative effect and the inhibition of apoptosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.196-201
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• 1996

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-ion channel complex is activated by the simultaneous presence of L-glutamate and glycine, allowing the binding of MK-801 to the phencyclidine (PCP) site of the receptor. The $[^3H]$MK-801 binding assay system was established for determination of pharmacological functions of test compounds acting at the glycine site of the receptor. The binding in the presence of 0.1 $\mu$M L-glutamate was increased by an agonist (glycine) in a dose-dependent fashion, while decreased by either partial agonist (R-(+)-HA-966) or antagonist (5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid: 5,7-DCKA). To distinguish partial agonism from antagonism, various concentrations of 7-chlorokynurenic acid (7-CKA) were added in the assay to eliminate the interference of the endogenous glycine present in the membrane preparations. The bindings in the presence of L-glutamate (0.1$\muM$) and 7-CKA (1, 5, or 10$\muM$) were increased by R-(+)-HA-966. Being a weak partial agonist, the extent of potentiation was much less than that by the agonist. These binding profiles were clearly distinguishable from those by the antagonist, 5,7-DCKA, which exhibited no intrinsic activity. The binding assays established in the present study are a useful system to classify ligands acting at the glycine site of the NMDA receptor by their pharmacological functions.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.32 no.3 s.126
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• pp.212-218
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• 2001

The water extracts of 82 Korean medicinal herbs were prepared and were examined for the binding affinity on the glycine binding site of NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor prepared by the synaptic membranes from the forebrains of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Among the tested, the extracts of Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Hoveniae Semen cum Fructus, Astragali Radix, Armeniacae Semen, Huttuynia cordata Herba, Acanthopanacis Cortex, Aurantii nobilis Pericarpium, Phellinus linteus, Amomi Fructus, Artemisiae capillaris Herba, Polyporus, Agastachis Herba and of Galli Stomachichum Corium were found to exhibit significant competitions with $[^3H]-MDL$ 105,519 for the glycine specific binding site of NMDA receptor in a dose dependent manner, respectively.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.351-357
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• 1997

A series of 4-substituted-kynurenic acid derivatives possessing several different substituents at C4-position which are consisted of both a flexible propyloxy chain and an adjunct several type of carbonyl groups has been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antagonist activity at the glycine site on the NMDA receptor. Of them, N-benzoylthiourea 15c and N-phenylthiourea 15a were found to have the best in vitro binding affinity with $IC_{50}$ of 3.95 and $6.04{\mu}M$, respectively. On the other hand, in compounds 12a-c and 13 the displacement of a thiourea group to an amide or a carbamate caused a significant decrease of the in vitro binding affinity. In the SAR study of the 4-substituted kynurenic acid derivatives, it was realized that the terminal substitution pattern on a flexible C4-propyloxy chain of kynurenic acid nucleus significantly influences on the binding affinity for glycine site; the binding affinity to the NMDA receptor might be increased by the introduction of a suitable electron rich substituent at C4 of kynurenic acid nucleus.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.270-275
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• 2001

Bioisostere approach has been shown to be useful to augment potency or to modify certain physiological properties of a lead compound. Based upon well documented bioisosterism, an isosteric replacement of benzene ring of 4-hydroxy-2-quinolone compound (L-695902) with a thiophene moiety was carried out to prepare the title compounds, 4-hydroxy-6-oxo-6,7-dihydro-thieno[2,3-b] pyrimidines 15. The resulting bioisosteric compounds 15 were evaluated for their antagonistic activity (birding assay) for NMDA receptor glycine site.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.939-945
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• 1997

Several types of 4-substituted-quinoline-2-carboxylic acid derivatives possessing different substituents at C4-position such as sulfonyl, phosphonyl, carbonyl groups, or a flexible alkyl chain have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antagonistic activity at the glycine site on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Of them, 5,7-dichloro-4-(tolylsulfonylamino)-quinoline-2-carboxylic acid 9 was found to have the best in vitro binding affinity with IC50 of 0.57 μM. On the other hand, in compounds 21 and 22 the introduction of flexible alkyl chains on C4 of the quinoline mother nuclei caused a significant decrease of the in vitro binding affinity. In addition, replacement of polar carboxylic acid group on C2 by neutral bioisosteres in compounds 23a-d also seems to be disadvantageous to in vitro activity. In the structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of the 4-substituted quinoline-2-carboxylic acid acid derivatives, it was realized that the substitution pattern on C4 significantly influences on the binding affinity for the glycine site of NMDA receptor and the binding affinity might be increased by the introduction of a suitable electron rich substituent at C4 which has the ability of H-bonding donor.