title: Antagonists and agonists at the glycine site of the NMDA receptor for therapeutic interventions.
abstract: For decades neuroreceptor research has focused on the development of NMDA glycine-site antagonists, after Johnson and Ascher found out in 1987 about the co-agonistic character of this achiral amino acid at the NMDA receptor. Contrary to the inhibitory glycine receptor (glycine(A)) the glycine binding site on the NMDA receptor (glycine(B)) is strychnine-insensitive. A great diversity of diseases showing a disturbed glutamate neurotransmission have been linked to the NMDA receptor. Glycine site antagonists have been investigated for acute diseases like stroke and head trauma as well as chronic ones like dementia and chronic pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 5, 55099, Mainz, Germany. mjansen@uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dannhardt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001665:Binding Sites; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005998:Glycine / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008559:Memantine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000819:agonists* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D005998:Glycine; D008559:Memantine