The seizure-inducing plastic explosive RDX inhibits the α1β2γ2 GABA_A receptor.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Royal demolition explosive (RDX) can induce seizures in wildlife and humans following release into the environment or after voluntary consumption. During the Vietnam War, RDX intoxication was the most common cause of generalized seizures in US service personnel, and in some sections of the armed forces, eating of RDX has continued as "a dare" to this day. After its mechanism of action was long unknown, RDX was recently shown to be a GABA_A receptor antagonist. We here determined the GABA_A receptor subtype-selectivity of RDX and mapped its functional binding site.

Methods

We used whole-cell patch-clamp to determine the potency of RDX on 10 recombinantly expressed GABA_A receptors and mapped the RDX binding site using a combination of R

SUBMITTER: Pressly B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9082378 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature