Inhibitory effect of NMDA receptor activation on quisqualate-stimulated phosphatidylinositol turnover in the human cerebral cortex

The effect of excitatory amino acids (EAA) on the phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover in human cerebral cortical slices was investigated. Quisqualic acid (QA) and, to lesser extent, ibotenic acid (IBO) at 10(-5)-10(-3) M increased inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation. L-Glutamic acid (L-glu), kainic acid (KA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) were ineffective. NMDA dose-dependently antagonized the QA facilitatory effect. Such inhibition was prevented by the NMDA receptor complex antagonists (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a, d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801) and by 3[+/-)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid. The effect of IBO (but not that of QA) was greatly potentiated by MK-801. These data suggest that the EAA metabotropic receptor described in the rodent brain is also present in human cerebral cortex and is negatively modulated by the NMDA receptor.