Department of Medical Pharmacology, Psychopharmacology Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Etlik 06018, Ankara, Turkey.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2012 Jan;36(1):502-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.08.006. Epub 2011 Aug 26.
Agmatine is a polyamine that is produced via decarboxylation of l-arginine by the enzyme arginine decarboxylase. It binds to various receptors and has been accepted as a novel neurotransmitter in brain. In experimental studies, agmatine exhibited anticonvulsant, antinociceptive, anxiolytic and antidepressant-like actions. Furthermore, it has some beneficial effects on cerebral ischemia models in animals. Agmatine interacts with the mechanisms of withdrawal syndromes for several addictive agents. It also modulates some processes involved in learning and memory. Thus, agmatine seems to be a valuable agent for the treatment of behavioral and neurodegenerative disorders. However, the aberrant release and transmission of agmatine in the central nervous system (CNS) may be associated with mechanisms of several CNS disorders, such as psychosis. Interactions between agmatine and other central neurotransmitter systems, such as the glutamatergic and nitrergic systems, are also very important. In light of the current literature on agmatine, we can anticipate that the central agmatinergic system may be an important target in development of novel strategies and approaches for understanding the etiopathogenesis of some important central disorders and their pharmacological treatments. The main objective of this review is to investigate and update the information on effects of agmatine in CNS and highlight its pharmacological importance in central disorders.
胍丁胺是一种多胺，通过酶精氨酸脱羧酶从 l-精氨酸脱羧产生。它与各种受体结合，被认为是大脑中的一种新型神经递质。在实验研究中，胍丁胺表现出抗惊厥、镇痛、抗焦虑和抗抑郁样作用。此外，它对动物的脑缺血模型具有一些有益的作用。胍丁胺与几种成瘾药物戒断综合征的机制相互作用。它还调节学习和记忆过程中的一些过程。因此，胍丁胺似乎是治疗行为和神经退行性疾病的有价值的药物。然而，中枢神经系统 (CNS) 中胍丁胺的异常释放和传递可能与几种 CNS 疾病的机制有关，例如精神病。胍丁胺与其他中枢神经递质系统（如谷氨酸能和氮能系统）之间的相互作用也非常重要。鉴于目前关于胍丁胺的文献，我们可以预期，中枢胍丁胺系统可能是开发新策略和方法理解一些重要中枢疾病的发病机制及其药物治疗的重要靶点。本文综述的主要目的是研究和更新胍丁胺在中枢神经系统中的作用信息，并强调其在中枢疾病中的药理学重要性。
