RB 101 suppresses enkephalinase and aminopeptidases; biologically cleaved at disulfide to produce inhibitors of both aminopeptidase N and neutral endopeptidase.
Ro 04-5595 is a selective antagonist of NMDA receptors NR2B subunits. Ro 04-5595 had an EC 50 of 186 ± 32 nmol L. Ro 04-5595 was predicted to bind the EVT-101 binding site, not the ifenprodil-binding site. Specific binding, defined with a new NR2B-specific antagonist Ro 04-5595 at 10 microM was fully inhibited by several compounds with the following rank order of affinities--Ro 25-6981 > CP-101,606 > Ro 04-5595 = ifenprodil >> eliprodil > haloperidol > spermine > spermidine > MgCl2 > CaCl2--and partially inhibited by competitive glutamate recognition site antagonists. Complementary high-resolution autoradiographic images using [3H]Ro04-5595 demonstrated strong binding in NR2B receptor-rich regions and low binding in cerebellum where NR2B concentration is low.
EVT-101 is a GluN2B antagonist, binding at the same GluN1 GluN2B dimer interface as ifenprodil but adopting a remarkably different binding mode involving a distinct subcavity and receptor interactions.
Kynurenic acid, an active metabolite of tryptophan, is synthesized through a kynurenine intermediate by kynurenine aminotransferases (KATs). It acts as an antagonist of both NMDA and AMPA receptors, as well as α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs; EC50s = 235, 101, and 7 µM, respectively), and functions as an agonist for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35; EC50s = 1.4 and 39 µM, respectively). In a neonatal rat model of cerebral hypoxic-ischemia, induced by carotid artery ligation, administration of kynurenic acid at 300 mg kg prevents weight loss in the lesioned hemisphere. Additionally, at concentrations of 1 and 5 mg ml, it protects against neurodegeneration in the rhabdomere of the eye in an Htt93QtransgenicDrosophila model of Huntington's disease. Elevated levels of kynurenic acid in the cerebrospinal fluid have been observed in patients with schizophrenia.