Modulation of the GABAA receptor complex by steroids in slices of rat cuneate nucleus

1. Several derivatives of pregnane and androstane that have hypnotic properties have been investigated for their ability to potentiate responses to the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol and to reduce the effect of the non-competitive GABAA antagonist picrotoxin. 2. Depolarizing responses to muscimol in slices of rat cuneate nucleus were potentiated most potently by 3 alpha-hydroxy,5 alpha-pregnane-11,20-dione (alphaxalone), which gave half-maximal potentiation at 0.15 microM. The 5 beta isomer of alphaxalone had little effect up to 3 microM but in analogues lacking an 11-keto substituent (pregnanolones), both the 5 alpha- and 5 beta-isomers potentiated with potencies 20 and 10 times lower, respectively, than that of alphaxalone. The alpha configuration of the 3-hydroxy was essential in alphaxalone, the 3 beta-hydroxy isomer being inactive. However, there was little difference between the potencies of the 3 alpha- and 3 beta-hydroxy configurations in the pregnanolones, although the maximal effects of the 3 beta-hydroxy isomers were rather lower than those of the 3 alpha-hydroxy isomers. 3. Reductions in the effect of picrotoxin as an antagonist of muscimol were caused most potently by the 3 alpha-hydroxy pregnanolones, with a ten fold reduction in picrotoxin potency at 1 microM concentrations of these steroids. Alphaxalone and its 5 beta-isomer were about half as potent. Androsterone was about 10 times less potent and the 3 beta-hydroxy pregnanolones were ineffective. 4. This difference in the structure-activity relationships for steroidal potentiation of muscimol and reduction in picrotoxin antagonism of muscimol is reminiscent of an analogous distinction found with the barbiturates.