2,3-Diaminopropionic acids

Mimosine or leucenol is a toxic non-protein amino acid chemically similar to tyrosine. It occurs in some Mimosa spp. (including M. pudica) and all members of the closely related genus Leucaena.

chemical compound

β-Methylamino--alanine, or BMAA, is a non-proteinogenic amino acid produced by cyanobacteria. BMAA is a neurotoxin. Its potential role in various neurodegenerative disorders is the subject of scientific research.

Cucurbitin is an amino acid and a carboxypyrrolidine that is found in Cucurbita seeds. Cucurbitin causes degenerative changes in the reproductive organs of parasitic flatworms called flukes.

chemical compound

UBP-302 is a highly selective kainate receptor antagonist used in the study of many neurological processes. It is active at micromolar concentration within an in vitro preparation and specifically targets the GluK1 (iGluR5) subunit of the receptor. This compound was developed at the University of Bristol.

Alanosine (also called SDX-102) is a substance that has been studied for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. It is an antimetabolite. It is used as one of a few experimental treatments for patients with deadly pancreatic cancer when the main chemotherapeutic treatment regimen of gemcitabine is no longer useful.

5-Fluorowillardiine is a selective agonist for the AMPA receptor, with only limited effects at the kainate receptor. It is an excitotoxic neurotoxin when used in vivo and so is rarely used in intact animals, but it is widely used to selectively stimulate AMPA receptors in vitro. It is structurally similar to the compound willardiine, which is also an agonist for the AMPA and kainate receptors. Willardiine occurs naturally in Mariosousa willardiana and Acacia sensu lato.

5-Iodowillardiine is a selective agonist for some kainate receptor subunits with only limited effects at AMPA receptors. It activates kainate receptors containing GluK1 (GluR5) or GluK5 (KA2) subunits, but it does not act on GluK2 (GluR6) subunits. It is an excitotoxic neurotoxin in vivo, but has proved highly useful for characterising the subtypes and function of the various kainate receptors in the brain and spinal cord.