Role of the GLT-1 subtype of glutamate transporter in glutamate homeostasis: the GLT-1-preferring inhibitor WAY-855 produces marginal neurotoxicity in the rat hippocampus.

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and is tightly regulated by cell surface transporters to avoid increases in concentration and associated neurotoxicity. Selective blockers of glutamate transporter subtypes are sparse and so knock-out animals and antisense techniques have been used to study their specific roles. Here we used WAY-855, a GLT-1-preferring blocker, to assess the role of GLT-1 in rat hippocampus.

Over-expression of the human EAAT2 glutamate transporter within neurons of mouse organotypic hippocampal slice cultures leads to increased vulnerability of CA1 pyramidal cells.

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) maintain the balance between pathological and physiological conditions by limiting the extracellular concentration of glutamate within the CNS and thus preventing excitotoxic injury. The loss of EAAT2 has been associated with the development of neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It has therefore been suggested that the over-expression of specific EAATs may provide some degree of neuroprotection.

Evidence that exogenous and endogenous fractalkine can induce spinal nociceptive facilitation in rats.

Recent evidence suggests that spinal cord glia can contribute to enhanced nociceptive responses. However, the signals that cause glial activation are unknown. Fractalkine (CX3C ligand-1; CX3CL1) is a unique chemokine expressed on the extracellular surface of spinal neurons and spinal sensory afferents.

Fractalkine (CX3CL1) and fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) distribution in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia under basal and neuropathic pain conditions.

Fractalkine is a unique chemokine reported to be constitutively expressed by neurons. Its only receptor, CX3CR1, is expressed by microglia. Little is known about the expression of fractalkine and CX3CR1 in spinal cord.

Potent imidazole and triazole CB1 receptor antagonists related to SR141716.

Diarylimidazolecarboxamides and diaryltriazolecarboxamides related to SR141716 were synthesized and tested for binding to the human CB(1) receptor. Suitably substituted imidazoles are comparably potent to the clinical candidate, whereas the analogous triazoles are less so due to the absence of an additional substituent on the azole ring.