An 5 GABAA Receptor Inverse Agonist, 5IA, Attenuates Amyloid Beta-Induced Neuronal Death in Mouse Hippocampal Cultures.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which no cognition-restoring therapies exist. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Increasing evidence suggests a remodeling of the GABAergic system in AD, which might represent an important therapeutic target. An inverse agonist of 5 subunit-containing GABAA receptors (α5GABAARs), 3-(5-Methylisoxazol-3-yl)-6-[(1-methyl-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyloxy]-1,2,4-triazolo[3-]phthalazine (5IA) has cognition-enhancing properties. This study aimed to characterize the effects of 5IA on amyloid beta (A)-induced molecular and cellular changes. Mouse primary hippocampal cultures were exposed to either A alone, or 5IA alone, 5IA with A or vehicle alone, and changes in cell viability and mRNA expression of several GABAergic signaling components were assessed. Treatment with 100 nM of 5IA reduced A-induced cell loss by 23.8% ( < 0.0001) after 6 h and by 17.3% after 5 days of treatment ( < 0.0001). Furthermore, we observed an A-induced increase in ambient GABA levels, as well as upregulated mRNA expression of the GABAAR α2,α5,2/3 subunits and the GABABR R1 and R2 subunits. Such changes in GABARs expression could potentially disrupt inhibitory neurotransmission and normal network activity. Treatment with 5IA restored A-induced changes in the expression of α5GABAARs. In summary, this compound might hold neuroprotective potential and represent a new therapeutic avenue for AD.