Inhibitory effects of quinolone antibacterial agents on gamma-aminobutyric acid binding to receptor sites in rat brain membranes.

The specific binding of 3H-labeled gamma-aminobutyric acid ([3H]GABA) to synaptic plasma membranes from rat brains was inhibited by various quinolonecarboxylic acid derivatives (quinolones), and these inhibitions were concentration dependent. The binding of [3H]muscimol to GABAA sites was also inhibited. These inhibitory potencies differed widely among the quinolones examined. The Dixon plots showed that a newly developed difluorinated quinolone, NY-198 [1-ethyl-6,8-difluoro-1,4-dihydro-7-(3-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-4-oxo-3- quinolinecarboxylic acid hydrochloride], competitively inhibits the receptor bindings of [3H]GABA and [3H]muscimol. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the inhibition of GABA binding to receptors (including uptake sites) in the brain may be involved in the induction of epileptogenic neurotoxicities by quinolones.