Ethylenediamine as a Specific Releasing Agent of γ‐Aminobutyric Acid in Rat Striatal Slices

Abstract

Following incubation with [¹⁴C]y‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) or [³H]dopamine, slices of rat striatum were superfused with media containing 36 mM K⁺ or ethylenediamine (EDA), 1 or 5 mM. Both K⁺ and EDA induced a release of [¹⁴C]GABA, the K⁺‐induced release being largely Ca²⁺‐dependent, while the EDA‐induced release was not. Whereas K⁺ also evoked a Ca²⁺‐dependent release of [³H]dopamine, EDA evoked no release of dopamine. EDA may therefore have potential as a specific GABA releasing agent.