title: [Effects of L-malate, an inhibitor of glutamate decarboxylase, on learning and memory in mice].
abstract: Oral administration of L-malate 600 mg.kg-1 for 5 days before training can significantly promote memory acquisition, consolidation and retrieval, respectively, on anisodine-, chloramphenicol-, and ethanol-induced memory impairment in mice. Ketamine (8.5 mg.kg-1, i.p.), a selective NMDA receptor antagonist, was found to inhibit the anti-amnesic activity of L-malate. The glutamate (Glu) and GABA content in mice brain was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The content of GABA was shown to be decreased from 2.3 +/- 0.5 mumol.g-1 to 1.3 +/- 0.5 mumol.g-1 (P < 0.01), so the Glu/GABA ratio was increased significantly. These results suggest that the decrease of cerebral GABA level and the increase of Glu/GABA ratio is favorable to learning and memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Wenzhou Medical College.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008293:Malates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase