Coumarin effects on amino acid levels in mice prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
Coumarin is a compound known to be present in a wide variety of plants, microorganisms and animal species. Most of its effects were studied in organs and systems other than the central nervous system. The present work evaluated the effect of coumarin administration on the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GLU), glycine (GLY) and taurine (TAU) in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of mice. Male Swiss mice were treated with distilled water (controls), coumarin (20 or 40 mg/kg, i.p.) or diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.). Results showed that in the prefrontal cortex, coumarin at the lowest dose increased the levels of GLU and TAU, while GABA increased with both doses studied and GLY had its levels increased only at the dose of 40 mg/kg. Diazepam (DZP) increased the levels of GABA and TAU and decreased the levels of GLU and GLY in this area. In the hippocampus, only glutamate had its levels decreased after coumarin treatment, while diazepam increased the levels of GABA and TAU and decreased the levels of GLU in this brain region. We concluded that coumarin stimulates the release of endogenous amino acids, increasing the levels of inhibitory and excitatory amino acids in the prefrontal cortex, and decreasing glutamate levels in the hippocampus. Together, these results are of interest, considering that some neurodegenerative diseases and seizures are related to the imbalance of the amino acid levels in the CNS suggesting a perspective of a therapeutic use of coumarins in these disorders.
Pereira
Elaine Cristina
EC
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Ceará, Rua Cel. Nunes de Melo 1127, CEP 60431-270, Fortaleza, Brazil.
Lucetti
Daniel Luna
DL
Barbosa-Filho
José Maria
JM
de Brito
Eliane Magalhães
EM
Monteiro
Valdécio Silvano
VS
Patrocínio
Manoel Cláudio Azevedo
MC
de Moura
Rebeca Ribeiro
RR
Leal
Luzia Kalyne Almeida Moreira
LK
Macedo
Danielle Silveira
DS
de Sousa
Francisca Cléa Florenço
FC
de Barros Viana
Glauce Socorro
GS
Vasconcelos
Silvânia Maria Mendes
SM
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002491:Central Nervous System Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003374:Coumarins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D005998:Glycine / Q000032:analysis; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D013654:Taurine / Q000032:analysis; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis
D000596:Amino Acids; D002491:Central Nervous System Agents; D003374:Coumarins; D013654:Taurine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; C030123:coumarin; D003975:Diazepam; D005998:Glycine