α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid, better known as AMPA, is a
compound that is a specific
agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...
for the
AMPA receptor, where it mimics the effects of the
neurotransmitter glutamate
Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; known as glutamate in its anionic form) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a Essential amino acid, non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that ...
.
There are several types of glutamatergic ion channels in the central nervous system including AMPA,
kainic acid and
''N''-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) channels. In the
synapse, these receptors serve very different purposes. AMPA can be used experimentally to distinguish the activity of one receptor from the other in order to understand their differing functions.
AMPA generates fast
excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP).
[ AMPA activates AMPA receptors that are non-selective cationic channels allowing the passage of Na+ and K+ and therefore have an equilibrium potential near 0 mV.
AMPA was first synthesized, along with several other ibotenic acid derivatives, by Krogsgaard-Larsen, Honoré, and others toward differentiating glutamate sensitive receptors from aspartate sensitive receptors.]
See also
* Ampakine
References
{{Ionotropic glutamate receptor modulators
AMPA receptor agonists
Kainate receptor agonists
Alpha-Amino acids
Isoxazoles
Glutamate (neurotransmitter)