Extracellular Modulation of NMDA Receptors
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Williams K
Extracellular Modulation of NMDA Receptors
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- PubMed ID
- 21204407 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
A number of natural and synthetic molecules including polyamines, protons, Zn2+, steroids, redox reagents, ifenprodil, and ethanol are modulators of NMDA receptors (NMDARs), acting at extracellular sites on the receptors to increase or decrease macroscopic currents and Ca2+ flux through NMDA channels. Some of these modulators, for example Zn2+, polyamines, and protons, are endogenous molecules that may exert important regulatory effects on NMDARs under physiological and/or pathological conditions. Others, for example ifenprodil, are synthetic molecules that serve as experimental tools to study the properties of NMDARs and receptor subtypes and may provide lead compounds for the development of therapeutically useful NMDAR antagonists. This chapter provides an overview of some of these modulators, with a focus on polyamines, ifenprodil, and Zn2+ and on recent studies detailing their mechanisms of action, interactions, and proposed sites of action on NMDARs. Much of the early work in this area was reviewed previously [1-11] and is not dealt with in detail in this chapter. Similarly, the list of citations at the end of this chapter is not exhaustive; rather, it draws on recent and older publications to present an overview of how the field has developed and where it stands at present (mid 2007).
DrugBank Data that Cites this Article
- Drug Targets
Drug Target Kind Organism Pharmacological Action Actions Ethanol Glutamate receptor ionotropic, NMDA 3A Protein Humans YesAntagonistDetails