Kainic acid

Kainic Acid (CAS 487-79-6) is a water-soluble heterocyclic dicarboxylic acid compound and a potent agonist of glutamate receptors, acting primarily and specifically on kainate receptors within the central nervous system. It acts as an excitatory agonist at these receptors and shows partial agonist effects at AMPA receptors. In addition, kainic acid induces neuronal excitotoxicity by promoting sustained neuronal depolarization and calcium influx.

In experimental neuroscience research, kainic acid at nanomolar to micromolar concentrations induces persistent seizures and epileptiform neural activity in vivo in rodent models and in vitro in neuronal cultures. It also causes hippocampal neuronal degeneration, synaptic remodeling, and glial cell activation, and is a commonly used tool drug for studying neurotoxicity and epileptogenesis mechanisms.

In the field of central nervous system disease research, kainic acid is widely used to establish epileptic animal models, screen antiepileptic drugs, and investigate potential excitotoxic pathways in neurodegenerative diseases. Administration induces seizure phenotypes and neuropathological changes that mimic human temporal lobe epilepsy, providing models for neuroprotection mechanism research and the development and evaluation of new antiepileptic drugs.