Effects of Ginkgo Biloba Extract Constituents on Glycine-Activated Strychnine-Sensitive Receptors in Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons of the Rat

Active compounds of Ginkgo biloba extract (ginkgolides A, B, C, and J) were tested on the main ligand-operated conductances in rat neurons using a patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration and a concentration-clamp technique. It was found that all ginkgolides reduced glycine-activated currents in concentration- and use-dependent manners, whereas they did not affect other tested ligand-gated receptors (NMDA- and GABA-activated ones). The IC₅₀ values calculated from dose-response curves were as follows: 1.97, 0.273, 0.267, and 2.0 M for ginkgolides A, B, C, and J, respectively (200 M Gly ).The Hill coefficient in all cases was close to 1.0, which indicates a single site of the drug binding to the glycine-activated receptor.