title: Huperzine A, a nootropic alkaloid, inhibits N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced current in rat dissociated hippocampal neurons.
abstract: Huperzine A, a nootropic alkaloid isolated from a Chinese herb, has been proposed as one of the most promising agents to treat Alzheimer's disease. Recently, the agent was found to inhibit the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in rat cerebral cortex in addition to causing an inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase. In the present study, the mechanisms underlying NMDA receptor inhibition were investigated using whole-cell voltage-clamp recording in CA1 pyramidal neurons acutely dissociated from rat hippocampus. Huperzine A reversibly inhibited the NMDA-induced current (IC(50)=126 microM, Hill coefficient=0.92), whereas it had no effect on the current induced by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate or kainate. The effect was non-competitive, and showed neither 'voltage-dependency', nor 'use-dependency'. The IC(50) values of huperzine A were neither altered by changing the concentrations of glycine (2-0.2 microM) and pH (7.4-6.7) in the external solution, nor by addition of Zn(2+) (5 microM) and dithiothreitol (5 mM) to the external solution. However, addition of spermine (200 microM) to the external solution caused a parallel shift to the right of the huperzine A concentration-response curve. From these we suggest that huperzine A acts as a non-competitive antagonist of the NMDA receptors, via a competitive interaction with one of the polyamine binding sites. The potential relevance of NMDA receptor antagonist activity of huperzine A to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease is discussed.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 294 Tai-Yuan Road, 200031, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004229:Dithiothreitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration / Q000187:drug effects; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013096:Spermine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C050426:huperzine A; D013096:Spermine; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid; D015032:Zinc; D007608:Kainic Acid; D004229:Dithiothreitol; D005998:Glycine