title: Homotaurine (3 aminopropanesulfonic acid; 3APS) protects from the convulsant and cytotoxic effect of systemically administered kainic acid.
abstract: Pretreatment of rats with homotaurine (3 aminopropanesulfonic acid; 3APS), a synthetic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analog, protected from the convulsant and cytotoxic action of systemically injected kainic acid (KA). Wet dog shaking (WDS) behavior was significantly reduced. Taurine, an inhibitory non-GABA-mimetic amino acid, and muscimol (another direct GABA-agonist) reduced the number of seizures and lesions in the brain but were less effective than homotaurine. Progabide (a GABA-agonist) did not modify kainic acid effects. The neurotoxicity of kainic acid could have been due to repetitive convulsive activity. Activation of GABA-mediated inhibition is an effective, but not the determinant means of preventing KA-induced abnormalities.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D009118:Muscimol / Q000494:pharmacology; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D011759:Pyrrolidines; D013654:Taurine; D009118:Muscimol; C001355:tramiprosate; D007608:Kainic Acid