Antagonism of γ-aminobutyric acid(A) receptor-mediated responses by amino-γ-carbolines

The amino-γ-carbolines 3-amino-1-methyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole and 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole were demonstrated to be potent convulsants. Administered i.p. in rats, these compounds penetrated the blood-brain barrier rapidly and appeared in the cerebrospinal fluid. When administered i.c.v., they induced convulsions with short onset latencies, suggesting that these compounds themselves have convulsant activities. In in vitro experiments using the whole cell clamp method, they suppressed γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced Cl^- current isolated on the dissociated mouse sensory neurons in dose-dependent manners through their actions as antagonists at GABA(A) receptors. The relative potency of the suppressive effects on GABA-induced Cl^- current was compatible with that of the convulsant activities in mice. Furthermore, Ro15-1788 did not affect their convulsant activities. These results suggested that the amino-γ-carbolines induced convulsions through their actions as antagonists at GABA(A) receptors and not through their actions as inverse agonists or antagonists at benzodiazepine receptors. Structure-activity relationships indicated that the 3-amino-group is important for the activities of amino-γ-carbolines as GABA(A) receptor antagonists.