• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.535-540
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• 1999

Glutamate (Glu) receptor-mediated excitoxicity has been implicated in many acute and chronic types of neurological disorders. Exposure of mature rat cortical neurons (15-18 days in culture) to the various concentrations of Glu resulted in a marked neuronal death, whereas immature rat cortical neurons (4∼5 days in culture) were resistant to the Glu-induced toxicity. Glu receptor subtype-specific agonists showed differential extent of toxicity in the immature neurons. The neurons treated with NMDA or kainate (KA) did not exhibit damage. However, quisqualate (QA) treatment induced a considerable cell death (36.1%) in immature enurons. The non-NMDA antagonist DNQX did not reduce this response. Interestingly, the QA-induced toxicity was potentiated by spermine in a concentration-dependent manner. Again, the spermine-enhanced damage was not altered by the polyamine antagonist ifenprodil. Taken together, unlike NMDA or KA, QA can induce neurotoxicity in immature rat cortical neurons and the QA-induced toxicity was potentiated by spermine. The lack of antagonizing effects of DNQX and ifenprodil on QA-induced toxicity and the potentiated toxicity by spermine, respectively, implies that both QA receptor and the polyamine site of NMDA receptor may not mediate the neurotoxicity observed in this study, and that a distinct mechanism(s) may be involved in excitotoxicity in immature neurons.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1994.04a
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• pp.239-239
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• 1994

신경쇠약의 치료로 상용하며, 빈혈의 치료와 예방의 효과가 있으며, 노화방지에 도움이 되어 민간약으로는 장수(長壽)약으로 꼽히고 있는 구기자가 글루타메이트에 의한 신경독성을 차단하며, 이러한 효과는 구기자의 성분 중 betaine에 의하여 나타난다. Betaine이 어떠한 작용 기전에 의하여 글루타메이트에 의한 신경독성을 차단하는 지를 밝히기 위하여 글루타메이트가 작용하는 각기 다른 수용체인 NHDA 및 non-NMDA 수용체에 어떻게 작용하는 지를 알아보았다. 각 수용체의 선택적인 효능제인 NMDA, kainate 및 quisqualate 각각을 사용하여 인위적으로 독성을 유도시킨 후 이에 대한 betaine의 작용을 알아 본 결과 betaine은 quisqualate에 의하여 유도된 신경독성에서 모두 유사한 정도의 효과를 나타내었다. 이러한 효과는 betaine과 구조가 유사한 glycine의 다른 구조 유사체인 dimethylglycine이나 sarcosine과는 다른 작용양상을 나타내는 것이다. Dimethylglycine과 sarcosine은 kainate에 의한 독성에 대하여 미약한 효과를 나타냈으나, NMDA에 의한 독성에는 정상대조군의 LDH 값의 50% 이상에까지 이르게하는 효과를 나타내는 것으로 보아 이들이 NMDA에 의한 신경독성을 효과적으로 차단한다는 것을 암시해 준다고 할 수 있다. 그러나 betaine의 글루타메이트에 의한 신경독성을 차단하는 효과는 다른 glycine 구조 유사체처럼 glycine과 경쟁적으로 작용하여 나타나는 결과는 아니라고 여겨진다. 또한 글루타메이트에 의한 신경독성이 일어나는 기전 중의 하나가 calcium 이온의 세포내의 과도한 유입으로 인한 것으로 알려져 있으나 세포내의 calcium 이온의 양을 측정하여 본 결과 betaine은 글루타메이트로 인한 세포내 calcium 이온의 증가에 대하여 별다른 효과를 나타내지 않았다. 따라서 betaine의 글루타메이트에 의한 신경독성 차단 효과는 이미 미생물에서 보고된 바 있는 betaine의 세포내 삼투압에 대한 보호작용이나 항산화작용과 관련된 기전에 의하여 나타나는 것일 가능성이 높은 것으로 추측되어진다.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.420-425
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• 2011

Objective : Excitatory amino acids play important roles in the development of secondary pathology following spinal cord injury (SCI). This study was designed to evaluate morphological changes in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and assess profiles of pain behaviors following intraspinal injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or quisqualate (QUIS) in rats. Methods : Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups : a sham, and two experimental groups receiving injections of 125 mM NMDA or QUIS into their spinal dorsal horn. Following injection, hypersensitivity to cold and mechanical stimuli, and excessive grooming behaviors were assessed serially for four weeks. At the end of survival periods, morphological changes in the spinal cord were evaluated. Results : Cold allodynia was developed in both the NMDA and QUIS groups, which was significantly higher in the QUIS group than in the NMDA group. The mechanical threshold for the ipsilateral hind paw in both QUIS and NMDA groups was significantly lower than that in the control group. The number of groomers was significantly higher in the NMDA group than in the QUIS group. The size of the neck region of the spinal dorsal horn, but not the superficial layer, was significantly smaller in the NMDA and QUIS groups than in the control group. Conclusion : Intraspinal injection of NMDA or QUIS can be used as an excitotoxic model of SCI for further research on spinal neuropathic pain.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.343-347
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• 1994

Effects of betaine on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity were examined on primary culturs of chicken embryonic brain cells and on rat cortical cultures. Betaine was found to attenuate glutamate-induced neurotoxicity both morphologically and biochemically. A 30 min exposure of chicken embryonic brain cells cultured for 12 days to 500 .mu.M glutamate produced wide-spread acute neuronal swelling and neurtic fragmentation. A 2-h pretreatment of cultured chicken embryonic brain cells with i mM betaine prior to a 30 min exposure to 500 , mu, M glutamate significantly raised the survival rate of neurons in the culture. When chicken embryonic brain cells were pretreated for 2 h with i mM betaine followed by exposure to 100 .mu.M glutamate for 42 h, lactate dehydrogenase levels within the cells remained at 62% of .mu.M untreated control values while glutamate-treated control fell to 0% lactate dehydrogenase. Betaine also exerted attenuating effects on N-methyl-D-asparte-, kainate-and quisqualate-induced neurotoxicity in a similar manner to that observed with glutamate. Similar neuroprotective effects of betaine with rat cortical cultures.