Tetrahydroaminoacridine potentiates neurotoxicity of quinolinic acid in rat striatum.

Intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg of tetrahydro-9-amino-acridine (THA) in rats 1 h before intrastriatal injection of 50-150 nmol of quinolinic acid potentiated the local neurotoxicity as indicated by measurements of striatal levels of glutamate decarboxylase and choline acetyltransferase. A larger dose (10 mg/kg) THA had no significant effect. The results are discussed in terms of THA's binding to various elements of the NMDA/sigma receptor complex and reported data on such binding are confirmed.