Pyrrolidone-carboxylic acid magnesium salt (PCA-Mg2+) protects against seizures induced by excitatory amino acids.

Single administration of PCA-Mg2+ (200 mg/kg, s.c.) increased the latency and shortened the duration of seizures produced by systemic injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in mice. Mortality was reduced in mice pretreated with PCA-Mg2+. Single or repeated (twice a day for 5 days) injections of PCA-Mg2+ (250 mg/kg, i.p.) also attenuated kainate-induced seizures in rats. However, PCA-Mg2+ had no effect on kainate-induced automatisms but reduced the frequency of generalized seizures. These results indicate that pharmacological doses of Mg2+ protect experimental animals against excitatory amino acid-induced seizures.