Resveratrol and catechin have behavioral and neuroprotective effects that may be due to their interaction with neuronal ion channels. It was hypothesized that the grape compounds, resveratrol and catechin modulate GABAAA receptors. To address this hypothesis, the effects of resveratrol and catechin were investigated on human recombinant GABAA receptors expressed in HEK-293 cells using electrophysiological techniques.<.p>
HEK-293 cells were cultured and transfected using eDNA encoding human GABAA receptors. GABA-evoked currents were recorded from HEK cells 24-48 hours following transfection. Cells were voltage clamped in the whole cell configuration at -60mV using the patch-clamp technique. Ligand-activated currents were recorded and stored, using Win WCP software, on a desktop computer.
Resveratrol (1- 100μM) dose-dependently potentiated GABA-evoked currents recorded from α1β2< /sup>γ2 and α1β2 GABAA receptors. Resveratrol did not modulate a α1β2< /sup>γ2 and α1β2 GABAA receptors. Furthermore, resveratrol did not act through the benzodiazepine binding site. The low efficacy and subunit selectivity of resveratrol is a promising discovery for the development of a highly specific GABAergic modulator. Conversely, catechin (1-100αM) dose-dependently inhibited GABA-evoked currents recorded from α1β2 and α1β1 GABAA receptors. The degree of inhibition was the same for both receptor subtypes. Catechin did not modulate α1β2γ2 or α1β1γ2 GABAA receptors. The selectivity of catechin for receptors lacking the γ subunit is similar to the effects of zinc and did not involve the benzodiazephine site on GABAA receptors.
This study has shown that catechin and resveratrol are subunit-selective modulators of human GABAA receptors. These compounds could lead to the development of novel agents to be used in treating neurological disorders. These data support the use and study of natural products for the development of agents that act selectively on the nervous system.
","abstract_html":"<p>Resveratrol and catechin have behavioral and neuroprotective effects that may be due to their interaction with neuronal ion channels. It was hypothesized that the grape compounds, resveratrol and catechin modulate GABAA<sub>A</sub> receptors. To address this hypothesis, the effects of resveratrol and catechin were investigated on human recombinant GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors expressed in HEK-293 cells using electrophysiological techniques.<.p><p>HEK-293 cells were cultured and transfected using eDNA encoding human GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors. GABA-evoked currents were recorded from HEK cells 24-48 hours following transfection. Cells were voltage clamped in the whole cell configuration at -60mV using the patch-clamp technique. Ligand-activated currents were recorded and stored, using Win WCP software, on a desktop computer.</p><p>Resveratrol (1- 100μM) dose-dependently potentiated GABA-evoked currents recorded from α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>2< /sup>γ<sub>2</sub> and α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>2</sub> GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors. Resveratrol did not modulate a α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>2< /sup>γ<sub>2</sub> and α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>2</sub> GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors. Furthermore, resveratrol did not act through the benzodiazepine binding site. The low efficacy and subunit selectivity of resveratrol is a promising discovery for the development of a highly specific GABAergic modulator. Conversely, catechin (1-100αM) dose-dependently inhibited GABA-evoked currents recorded from α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>2 and α<sup>1</sup>β<sub>1</sup> GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors. The degree of inhibition was the same for both receptor subtypes. Catechin did not modulate α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>2</sup>γ<sub>2</sub> or α<sub>1</sub>β<sub>1</sup>γ<sub>2</sub> GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors. The selectivity of catechin for receptors lacking the γ subunit is similar to the effects of zinc and did not involve the benzodiazephine site on GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors.</p><p>This study has shown that catechin and resveratrol are subunit-selective modulators of human GABA<sub>A</sub> receptors. These compounds could lead to the development of novel agents to be used in treating neurological disorders. These data support the use and study of natural products for the development of agents that act selectively on the nervous system.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Harr, Jennifer C."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted","degree_discipline":"Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Robert P. Halliwell"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2007-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:36:35Z","subjects":["Neurochemistry;GABA Receptors;GABA Antagonists","Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry","Medicine and Health Sciences","Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/649","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Robert P. Halliwell"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Harr, Jennifer C."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-06-29T08:49:10Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Neurochemistry;GABA Receptors;GABA Antagonists","Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry","Medicine and Health Sciences","Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/649"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Resveratrol and catechin have behavioral and neuroprotective effects that may be due to their interaction with neuronal ion channels. It was hypothesized that the grape compounds, resveratrol and catechin modulate GABAAA receptors. To address this hypothesis, the effects of resveratrol and catechin were investigated on human recombinant GABAA receptors expressed in HEK-293 cells using electrophysiological techniques.<.p>
HEK-293 cells were cultured and transfected using eDNA encoding human GABAA receptors. GABA-evoked currents were recorded from HEK cells 24-48 hours following transfection. Cells were voltage clamped in the whole cell configuration at -60mV using the patch-clamp technique. Ligand-activated currents were recorded and stored, using Win WCP software, on a desktop computer.
Resveratrol (1- 100μM) dose-dependently potentiated GABA-evoked currents recorded from α1β2< /sup>γ2 and α1β2 GABAA receptors. Resveratrol did not modulate a α1β2< /sup>γ2 and α1β2 GABAA receptors. Furthermore, resveratrol did not act through the benzodiazepine binding site. The low efficacy and subunit selectivity of resveratrol is a promising discovery for the development of a highly specific GABAergic modulator. Conversely, catechin (1-100αM) dose-dependently inhibited GABA-evoked currents recorded from α1β2 and α1β1 GABAA receptors. The degree of inhibition was the same for both receptor subtypes. Catechin did not modulate α1β2γ2 or α1β1γ2 GABAA receptors. The selectivity of catechin for receptors lacking the γ subunit is similar to the effects of zinc and did not involve the benzodiazephine site on GABAA receptors.
This study has shown that catechin and resveratrol are subunit-selective modulators of human GABAA receptors. These compounds could lead to the development of novel agents to be used in treating neurological disorders. These data support the use and study of natural products for the development of agents that act selectively on the nervous system.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["128"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An electrophysiological study of the effects of resveratrol and catechin at GABAa receptors"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Robert P. Halliwell"],"dc:creator":["Harr, Jennifer C."],"dc:date.available":["2018-06-29T08:49:10Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Resveratrol and catechin have behavioral and neuroprotective effects that may be due to their interaction with neuronal ion channels. It was hypothesized that the grape compounds, resveratrol and catechin modulate GABAAA receptors. To address this hypothesis, the effects of resveratrol and catechin were investigated on human recombinant GABAA receptors expressed in HEK-293 cells using electrophysiological techniques.<.p>
HEK-293 cells were cultured and transfected using eDNA encoding human GABAA receptors. GABA-evoked currents were recorded from HEK cells 24-48 hours following transfection. Cells were voltage clamped in the whole cell configuration at -60mV using the patch-clamp technique. Ligand-activated currents were recorded and stored, using Win WCP software, on a desktop computer.
Resveratrol (1- 100μM) dose-dependently potentiated GABA-evoked currents recorded from α1β2< /sup>γ2 and α1β2 GABAA receptors. Resveratrol did not modulate a α1β2< /sup>γ2 and α1β2 GABAA receptors. Furthermore, resveratrol did not act through the benzodiazepine binding site. The low efficacy and subunit selectivity of resveratrol is a promising discovery for the development of a highly specific GABAergic modulator. Conversely, catechin (1-100αM) dose-dependently inhibited GABA-evoked currents recorded from α1β2 and α1β1 GABAA receptors. The degree of inhibition was the same for both receptor subtypes. Catechin did not modulate α1β2γ2 or α1β1γ2 GABAA receptors. The selectivity of catechin for receptors lacking the γ subunit is similar to the effects of zinc and did not involve the benzodiazephine site on GABAA receptors.
This study has shown that catechin and resveratrol are subunit-selective modulators of human GABAA receptors. These compounds could lead to the development of novel agents to be used in treating neurological disorders. These data support the use and study of natural products for the development of agents that act selectively on the nervous system.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/649"],"dc:rights":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:source":["128"],"dc:subject":["Neurochemistry;GABA Receptors;GABA Antagonists","Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry","Medicine and Health Sciences","Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences"],"dc:title":["An electrophysiological study of the effects of resveratrol and catechin at GABAa receptors"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:36:35Z"}