title: Mechanism of action of galantamine on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in rat cortical neurons.
abstract: Galantamine, a new Alzheimer's drug approved in the United States, is known to inhibit acetylcholinesterase and potentiate acetylcholine-induced currents in brain neurons. However, because both cholinergic and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) systems are down-regulated in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, we studied the effects of galantamine on NMDA receptors. NMDA-induced whole-cell currents were recorded from the rat multipolar cortical neurons in primary culture. NMDA currents recorded in Mg2+-free media without addition of glycine were reversibly potentiated by bath and U-tube applications of galantamine at 10 to 10,000 nM, showing a bell-shaped dose-response relationship. However, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid and kainate currents were not affected by galantamine. The maximum potentiation of NMDA currents to approximately 130% of the control was obtained at 1 microM galantamine. The potentiation was due to a shift of the NMDA dose-response curve in the direction of lower NMDA concentrations. Glycine at 1 to 3000 nM enhanced NMDA currents, and potentiation by 1 microM galantamine and 1 to 300 nM glycine was additive. The glycine site antagonist 7-chlorokynurenic acid did not prevent the galantamine action. These results suggested that galantamine did not interact with the glycine binding site. Experiments with various concentrations of Mg2+ indicated that galantamine did not affect the Mg2+ blocking site of the NMDA receptor. PKC was involved in galantamine potentiation of NMDA currents, but protein kinase A, Gi/Go proteins, and Gs proteins were not involved. Potentiation of the activity of NMDA receptors is deemed partially responsible for the improvement of cognition, learning, and memory in Alzheimer's patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Northwestern University Medical School, 303 East Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Marszalec
authors.forename: Xilong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jay Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narahashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005702:Galantamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000378:metabolism; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000502:physiology; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D005702:Galantamine; D005998:Glycine; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate