Platt Simon R
The Animal Health Trust, Centre for Small Animal Studies, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK.
Vet J. 2007 Mar;173(2):278-86. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2005.11.007. Epub 2005 Dec 22.
Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Knowledge of the glutamatergic synapse has advanced enormously over the last 10 years, primarily through application of cellular electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques to the study of glutamate receptors and transporters. There are three families of ionotropic glutamate receptors with intrinsic cation permeable channels. There are also three groups of metabotropic, G-protein-coupled glutamate receptors that can modify neuronal excitability. There are also two glial glutamate transporters and three neuronal transporters in the brain. Endogenous glutamate may contribute to the brain damage occurring acutely after traumatic brain injury as well as having a role in the excitatory imbalance present in epileptic conditions and contributing to the pathophysiology of hepatic encephalopathy in animals. Understanding the role of glutamate in these neurological diseases may highlight treatment potentials of antagonists to glutamatergic transmission. This paper presents a review of the literature of glutamate and its role in neurological function and disease.
谷氨酸是大脑中主要的兴奋性神经递质。在过去10年里，对谷氨酸能突触的认识有了极大进展，这主要归功于将细胞电生理学和分子生物学技术应用于谷氨酸受体和转运体的研究。有三类具有内在阳离子通透通道的离子型谷氨酸受体。还有三组代谢型、G蛋白偶联谷氨酸受体，它们可调节神经元兴奋性。大脑中也存在两种胶质细胞谷氨酸转运体和三种神经元转运体。内源性谷氨酸可能导致创伤性脑损伤后急性发生的脑损伤，在癫痫状态下的兴奋性失衡中起作用，并在动物肝性脑病的病理生理学中发挥作用。了解谷氨酸在这些神经系统疾病中的作用可能会凸显谷氨酸能传递拮抗剂的治疗潜力。本文综述了关于谷氨酸及其在神经功能和疾病中作用的文献。
