bicuculline
Sign in to saveAlso known as bicuculline methiodide, d-Bicuculline, Bicucullin, Bicculine, Bicuculine
Bicuculline is a phthalide-isoquinoline compound that is a light-sensitive competitive antagonist of GABAA receptors. It was originally identified in 1932 in plant alkaloid extracts and has been isolated from Dicentra cucullaria, Adlumia fungosa, and several Corydalis species (all in subfamily Fumarioideae, previously known as family Fumariaceae). Since it blocks the inhibitory action of GABA receptors, the action of bicuculline mimics epilepsy; it also causes convulsions. This property is utilized in laboratories around the world in the in vitro study of epilepsy, generally in hippocampal or
Research
10,440 papers- Advantages of an antagonist: bicuculline and other GABA antagonists.British journal of pharmacology · 2013
- Bicuculline restores frequency-dependent hippocampal I/E ratio and circuit function in PGC-1ɑ null mice.Neuroscience research · 2022
- Effects of (+)-bicuculline, a GABAa receptor antagonist, on auditory steady state response in free-moving rats.PloS one · 2020
- Bicuculline block of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels.Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology · 1999
- Bicuculline and visual responses.Nature · 1976
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Mass
- 367.105587
Show 4 more facts
- chemical formula
- C₂₀H₁₇NO₆
- canonical SMILES
- CN1CCC2=CC3=C(C=C2C1C4C5=C(C6=C(C=C5)OCO6)C(=O)O4)OCO3
- isomeric SMILES
- CN1CCC2=CC3=C(C=C2[C@H]1[C@H]4C5=C(C6=C(C=C5)OCO6)C(=O)O4)OCO3
- Commons category
- Bicuculline
via Wikidata · CC0
~2 min read
Article
2 sectionsContents
- See also
- References
Bicuculline is a phthalide-isoquinoline compound that is a light-sensitive competitive antagonist of GABAA receptors. It was originally identified in 1932 in plant alkaloid extracts and has been isolated from Dicentra cucullaria, Adlumia fungosa, and several Corydalis species (all in subfamily Fumarioideae, previously known as family Fumariaceae). Since it blocks the inhibitory action of GABA receptors, the action of bicuculline mimics epilepsy; it also causes convulsions. This property is utilized in laboratories around the world in the in vitro study of epilepsy, generally in hippocampal or cortical neurons in prepared brain slices from rodents. This compound is also routinely used to isolate glutamatergic (excitatory amino acid) receptor function.
The action of bicuculline is primarily on the ionotropic GABAA receptors, which are ligand-gated ion channels concerned chiefly with the passing of chloride ions across the cell membrane, thus promoting an inhibitory influence on the target neuron. These receptors are the major targets for benzodiazepines, z-drugs, and related anxiolytic drugs.