Inhibitory effect of total flavone of Abelmoschus manihot L. Medic on NMDA receptor-mediated current in cultured rat hippocampal neurons.

The modulatory effect of Total Flavone of Abelmoschus manihot L. Medic (TFA) on NMDA-activated current (I(NMDA)) was investigated in cultured rat hippocampal neurons using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. TFA rapidly and reversibly inhibited the I(NMDA) in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, TFA non-competitively inhibited the I(NMDA) by enhancement of the NMDA receptor desensitization. In addition, intracellular application of TFA did not alter the TFA inhibition of I(NMDA). These results suggest that the inhibition of the NMDA receptor response by TFA could be one of the mechanisms for TFA-mediated neuroprotective actions.