A NEW ENDOGENOUS ANXIOLYTIC AGENT: l‐PYROGLUTAMIC ACID

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Abstract
Summary— By use of a simple anticonflict procedure (Vogel test), it was demonstrated that l‐pyroglutamic acid (l‐pyrrolidone carboxylic acid [l‐PCA]), an amino acid naturally occurring in mammalian tissues and fluids, possesses anxiolytic activity. This effect was stereospecific (d‐PCA was inactive) and, in the rat, it was not associated with a decrease in motor activity. Ro 15–1788, a benzodiazepine antagonist, did not modify l‐PCA actions. Furthermore, anxiolytic doses of the amino acid did not change the content of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) or of 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5‐HIAA) in the rat cortex and hippocampus.These results suggest that the mechanism of the anxiolytic activity of l‐PCA is different from that of the benzodiazepines and of 5‐HT1a agonists.