Nelumbo nucifera promotes non-rapid eye movement sleep by regulating GABAergic receptors in rat model.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Nelumbo nucifera are used in folk medicine for anti-depressant, anti-convulsant, neuroprotective, and many other purposes. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present work evaluated the sleep potentiating effects of water extract from lotus seed in rat, and the neuropharmacological mechanisms underlying these effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pentobarbital-induced sleep test and electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis were applied to investigate sleep latency, duration, total sleeping time and sleep quality of Lotus extract. In addition, real-time PCR and HPLC analysis were applied to analyze the signaling pathway. RESULTS: We found that the amounts of the possible active compounds GABA (2.33 mg/g) and L-tryptophan (2.00 mg/g) were higher than quinidine (0.55 mg/g) and neferine (0.16 mg/g) in lotus seed extract. High dose (160 mg/kg) administration of lotus extract led to a tendency towards decreased sleep latency time and an increase in sleep duration time compared to the control group in a pentobarbital-induced sleep model (p < 0.05). After high dose administration, total sleep and NREM were significantly increased compared to control, while wake time and REM were significantly decreased. Lotus extract-treated rats showed significantly reduced wake time and increased sleep time in a caffeine-induced model of arousal. The transcription level of GABAA receptor, GABAB receptor, and serotonin receptor tended to increase with dose, and lotus extract showed a strong dose-dependent binding capacity to the GABAA receptor. CONCLUSION: The above results strongly suggest that GABA contained in lotus seed extract acts as a sleep potentiating compound, and that sleep-potentiating activity involves GABAA receptor binding.

Image-Based Marker-Free Screening of GABAA Agonists, Antagonists, and Modulators.

The ionotropic GABAA receptors represent the main target for different groups of widely used drugs having hypnotic and anxiolytic effects. So far, most approaches used to assess GABA activity involve invasive low -throughput electrophysiological techniques or rely on fluorescent dyes, preventing the ability to conduct noninvasive and thus nonperturbing screens. To address this limitation, we have developed an automated marker-free cell imaging method, based on digital holographic microscopy (DHM). This technology allows the automatically screening of compounds in multiple plates without having to label the cells or use special plates. This methodological approach was first validated by screening the GABAA receptor expressed in HEK cells using a selection of active compounds in agonist, antagonist, and modulator modes. Then, in a second blind screen of a library of 3041 compounds (mostly composed of natural products), 5 compounds having a specific agonist action on the GABAA receptor were identified. The hits validated from this unbiased screen were the natural products muscimol, neurosteroid alphaxalone, and three compounds belonging to the avermectin family, all known for having an agonistic effect on the GABAA receptor. The results obtained were exempt from false negatives (structurally similar unassigned hits), and false-positive hits were detected and discarded without the need for performing electrophysiological measurements. The outcome of the screen demonstrates the applicability of our screening by imaging method for the discovery of new chemical structures, particularly regarding chemicals interacting with the ionotropic GABAA receptor and more generally with any ligand-gated ion channels and transporters.

A mutational and molecular dynamics study of the cys-loop GABA receptor Hco-UNC-49 from Haemonchus contortus: Agonist recognition in the nematode GABA receptor family.

The UNC-49 receptor is a unique nematode γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel that may prove to be a novel target for the development of nematocides. Here we have characterized various charged amino acid residues in and near the agonist binding site of the UNC-49 receptor from the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contorts. Utilizing the Caenorhabditis elegans GluCl crystal structure as a template, a model was generated and various charged residues [D83 (loop D), E131 (loop A), H137 (pre-loop E), R159 (Loop E), E185 (Loop B) and R241 (Loop C)] were investigated based on their location and conservation. These residues may contribute to structure, function, and molecular interactions with agonists. It was found that all residues chosen were important for receptor function to varying degrees. Results of the mutational analysis and molecular simulations suggest that R159 may be interacting with D83 by an ionic interaction that may be crucial for general GABA receptor function. We have used the results from this study as well as knowledge of residues involved in GABA receptor binding to identify sequence patterns that may assist in understanding the function of lesser known GABA receptor subunits from parasitic nematodes.

Identification of dehydroabietc acid from Boswellia thurifera resin as a positive GABAA receptor modulator.

In a two-microelectrode voltage clamp assay with Xenopus laevis oocytes, a petroleum ether extract (100 µg/mL) of the resin of Boswellia thurifera (Burseraceae) potentiated GABA-induced chloride currents (IGABA) through receptors of the subtype α1ß2γ2s by 319.8% ± 79.8%. With the aid of HPLC-based activity profiling, three known terpenoids, dehydroabietic acid (1), incensole (2), and AKBA (3), were identified in the active fractions of the extract. Structure elucidation was achieved by means of HR-MS and microprobe 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy. Compound 1 induced significant receptor modulation in the oocyte assay, with a maximal potentiation of IGABA of 397.5% ± 34.0%, and EC50 of 8.7 µM ± 1.3 µM. This is the first report of dehydroabietic acid as a positive GABAA receptor modulator.

Inhibitory effects of oenanthotoxin analogues on GABAergic currents in cultured rat hippocampal neurons depend on the polyacetylenes' polarity.

Oenanthotoxin (OETX) and dihydro-OETX are polyacetylenic diols occurring in Oenanthe crocata and are known to exert proconvulsant effects. We have recently demonstrated that these compounds downregulated GABAergic currents (Appendino et al., 2009) and that OETX induced open channel block and allosterically modulated GABA(A) receptors (Wyrembek et al., 2010). O. crocata also contains several minor OETX analogues and in the present study we tested whether their effect on GABA(A) receptors depends on the compounds' polarity. We investigated a series of five polyacetylenes characterized by a higher lipophylicity than OETX, (1-acetyl-2,3-dihydrooenanthotoxin - X1, 14-acetyloenanthotoxin-X2, 1-deoxyoenanthotoxin - X3, 14-deoxyoenanthotoxin - X4, 14-dehydro-1-deoxyOETX - X5, polarity sequence: X1>X2>X3>X4>X5). Their effects were tested first on miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs). All but X3, significantly decreased the mIPSC amplitudes while X1, X2, X4 decreased, and X3 and X5 increased the mIPSC frequency. The lack of a clear correlation between the compounds' polarity and their effect on mIPSCs might result from their presynaptic effects. We thus considered their impact on current responses to exogenous GABA applications. Amplitude reduction of current responses was most prominent for X1 and virtually absent for X5 indicating a dependence on the compound's polarity. Only X1 and X2 showed open channel block, while the kinetics of currents were affected only by X1 which further supports a dependence of the drug's effects on their polarity. In conclusion, GABA(A) receptors are inhibited and allosterically modulated by naturally occurring OETX analogues (except X5) and these effects are positively correlated with the compounds' polarity.

The GABAergic system contributes to the anxiolytic-like effect of essential oil from Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The essential oil (EO) from Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf is reported to have a wide range of biological activities and is widely used in traditional medicine as an infusion or decoction. However, despite this widely use, there are few controlled studies confirming its biological activity in central nervous system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anxiolytic-like activity of the EO was investigated in light/dark box (LDB) and marble-burying test (MBT) and the antidepressant activity was investigated in forced-swimming test (FST) in mice. Flumazenil, a competitive antagonist of benzodiazepine binding and the selective 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist WAY100635 was used in experimental procedures to determine the action mechanism of EO. To exclude any false positive results in experimental procedures, mice were submitted to the rota-rod test. We also quantified some neurotransmitters at specific brain regions after EO oral acute treatment. RESULTS: The present work found anxiolytic-like activity of the EO at the dose of 10mg/kg in a LDB. Flumazenil, but not WAY100635, was able to reverse the effect of the EO in the LDB, indicating that the EO activity occurs via the GABA(A) receptor-benzodiazepine complex. Only at higher doses did the EO potentiate diethyl-ether-induced sleeping time in mice. In the FST and MBT, EO showed no effect. Finally, the increase in time spent in the light chamber, demonstrated by concomitant treatment with ineffective doses of diazepam (DZP) and the EO, revealed a synergistic effect of the two compounds. The lack of activity after long-term treatment in the LDB test might be related to tolerance induction, even in the DZP-treated group. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between groups after either acute or repeated treatments with the EO in the rota-rod test. Neurochemical evaluation showed no amendments in neurotransmitter levels evaluated in cortex, striatum, pons, and hypothalamus. CONCLUSIONS: The results corroborate the use of Cymbopogon citratus in folk medicine and suggest that the anxiolytic-like effect of its EO is mediated by the GABA(A) receptor-benzodiazepine complex.