Effects of clonidine on the activity of the rat glutamate transporter EAAT3 expressed in oocytes

Abstract

BackgroundClonidine has been shown to be a potent neuroprotectant by acting at α2 receptors on glutamatergic neurons to inhibit the release of glutamate. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of clonidine on the activity of EAAT3 that can regulate extracellular glutamate.MethodsEAAT3 was expressed in the Xenopus oocytes. Using a two-electrode voltage clamp, membrane currents were recorded after application of 30 µM L-glutamate both in the presence and absence of various concentrations of clonidine. To determine the effects of clonidine on the Km and Vmax of EAAT3 and the reversibility of clonidine effects, membrane currents were recorded after the application of various concentrations of L-glutamate both in the presence and absence of 1.50 × 10-7 M clonidine.ResultsClonidine reduced the EAAT3 responses to L-glutamate in a concentration-dependent manner. This inhibition was statistically significant at higher concentrations than at the clinically relevant range. Clonidine at 1.50 × 10-7 M reduced the Vmax, but did not affect the Km of EAAT3 for L-glutamate.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the direct inhibition of EAAT3 activity is not related to the sedation effect of clonidine and that the clonidine-induced reduction of EAAT3 activity provides additional data for the possible involvement of glutamatergic hyperactivity in the proconvulsant effect of clonidine.

Keywords

• clonidine
• glutamate
• glutamate transporters