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Updated: May 25, 2026

Methods for the Discovery of Novel Compounds Modulating a Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Type A Neurotransmission
Published on: August 16, 2018
GABA(A) receptor modulators from the Chinese herbal drug Junci Medulla--the pith of Juncus effusus
Judith Singhuber1, Igor Baburin, Sophia Khom
1Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
The gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) type A (GABA(A)) receptor represents a crucial target for clinical agents in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. Using the two-microelectrode voltage clamp technique on recombinant α₁β₂γ(2S) GABA (A) receptors, effusol (1) and dehydroeffusol (2) were isolated in a bioactivity-guided approach from the pith of Juncus effusus L. Both compounds concentration-dependently enhanced GABA induced chloride currents (I(GABA)) by a maximum 188 ± 20 (1) and 239 ± 18 % (2), independent of the benzodiazepine (BZ) binding site. This activity on the GABA (A) receptor may explain the traditional use of J. effusus as a sedative and anxiolytic agent in Chinese medicine.
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