Effects of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptor Channel Blockers on the Development of Pentylenetetrazol Kindling in Mice

Experiments on mice were performed to study the ability of monocationic and dicationic adamantane and phenylcyclohexyl derivatives to prevent the development of kindling induced by i.p. administration of pentylenetetrazol (Corasol, 35 mg/kg). The monocationic phenylcyclohexyl derivative IEM-1921 effectively slowed the development of kindling, this being seen over a wide range of doses (0.0001–0.1 µmol/kg). A monocationic adamantane derivative (memantine), also a selective non-competitive blocker of NMDA receptors, produced a similar effect at doses 100 times higher. The anticonvulsive activity of the dicationic phenylcyclohexyl derivative IEM-1925, which could block both types of glutamate receptors, differed from the activity of the monocationic derivative by having a more complex dose-response relationship. Thus, the development of kindling was suppressed by essentially the same doses as needed for the monocation IEM-1921 (0.001 µmol/kg). However, on reducing the dose by a factor of 10 (0.0001 µmol/kg), IEM-1925 facilitated the development of kindling. This difference in the prophylactic activities of selective NMDA receptor blockers and substances able to block both NMDA and AMPA receptors provides evidence that the mechanism of kindling involves both types of ionotropic glutamate receptor and the effects of compounds depend not only on the ratio of the contributions of these receptors, but also on the kinetic characteristics of the blocking action.