2-Amine 4-Pentenoic Acid (Allylglycine): A Proposed Tool For The Study of Gaba Mediated Systems

Abstract

Structural and biochemical alterations produced by the convulsant drug 2-amine-4-pentenoic acid (allylglycine) in the cerebellar cortex are described. Most Purkinje cells show considerable shrinkage, condensation and darkening of the cytoplasm and nucleus and the basket synapses appear swollen and with loss of synaptic vesicles. This contrasts with the normal aspect of granular cells and glomerular synapses. In the cerebellum of the convulsant rat there is 32–35 % inhibition of glutamic acid decarboxylase. Kinetic studies suggest that the inhibition is due to a competitive inhibition for the substrate. These results suggest that allylglycine may be used as a tool for the study in the central nervous system of inhibitory systems mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid.