4-aminobutyric acid methyl ester hydrochloride, a precursor of 4-aminobutyric acid

4-Aminobutyric methyl ester hydrochloride (GME) is able to cross the blood-brain barrier after intracardiac administration to the rat. GME has an LD50 of 1300 mg/kg in mice and 950 mg/kg in rats, exhibits an antiaggressive effect and is able to decrease isoniazid-induced convulsions in the rat. GME is hydrolyzed to 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA) by brain homogenates, acts as an inhibitor of GABA binding to crude synaptic plasma membranes, activates the release and inhibits the uptake of GABA by rat synaptosomes and acts as a competitive inhibitor of the so-called GABAse system in vitro.