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Updated: Jun 13, 2025

Subcutaneous Administration of Muscarinic Antagonists and Triple-Immunostaining of the Levator Auris Longus Muscle in Mice
Published on: September 8, 2011
Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Muscimol
Diego Rivera-Illanes1, Gonzalo Recabarren-Gajardo1,2
1Bioactive Heterocycles Synthesis Laboratory (BHSL), Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago 7820436, Chile.
Abstract:
Muscimol (3) is a psychoactive isoxazole present in various Amanita mushrooms, along with ibotenic acid and muscarine. It is structurally related to GABA and acts as a GABAA agonist with great affinity. Muscimol use dates back to Siberian shamanic cultures as an entheogen, where it was ingested orally to exert psychoactive effects. Although not approved for clinical use, its potential and use as a research tool in neuroscience is of immense value, with 3H-muscimol being used as a radioligand in GABA receptor research. Since its discovery in the early 60s, many research groups have worked on the synthesis of the compound. Recent research suggests the potential use of muscimol in neuropathic pain relief and other potential uses are also being studied. In this review, we will cover the history, chemistry, pharmacology and overall importance of the compound.
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