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Flavonoid modulation of GABA A receptors
Author(s) -
Hanrahan Jane R.,
Chebib Mary,
Johnston Graham A. R.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01228.x
Subject(s) - receptor , flavonoid , pharmacology , gabaa receptor , flumazenil , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , gaba receptor , neurotransmitter receptor , chemistry , biochemistry , biology , neuroscience , antioxidant
There has been a resurgence of interest in synthetic and plant‐derived flavonoids as modulators of γ‐amino butyric acid‐A (GABA A ) receptor function influencing inhibition mediated by the major inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in the brain. Areas of interest include (i) flavonoids that show subtype selectivity in recombinant receptor studies in vitro consistent with their behavioural effects in vivo , (ii) flumazenil‐insensitive modulation of GABA A receptor function by flavonoids, (iii) the ability of some flavonoids to act as second‐order modulators of first‐order modulation by benzodiazepines and (iv) the identification of the different sites of action of flavonoids on GABA A receptor complexes. An emerging area of interest is the activation of GABA A receptors by flavonoids in the absence of GABA. The relatively rigid shape of flavonoids means that they are useful scaffolds for the design of new therapeutic agents. Like steroids, flavonoids have wide‐ranging effects on numerous biological targets. The challenge is to understand the structural determinants of flavonoid effects on particular targets and to develop agents specific for these targets.