Cited by 284Treatment of Major DepressionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

GLYX-13, a NMDA Receptor Glycine-Site Functional Partial Agonist, Induces Antidepressant-Like Effects Without Ketamine-Like Side Effects

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Burgdorf, Jeffrey, Zhang, Xiao-lei, Nicholson, Katherine L, Balster, Robert L, David Leander, J, Stanton, Patric K, Gross, Amanda L, Kroes, Roger A +1 more·2013·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

Recent human clinical studies with the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine have revealed profound and long-lasting antidepressant effects with rapid onset in several clinical trials, but antidepressant effects were preceded by dissociative side effects. Here we show that GLYX-13, a novel NMDAR glycine-site functional partial agonist, produces an antidepressant-like effect in the Porsolt, novelty induced hypophagia, and learned helplessness tests in rats without exhibiting substance abuse-related, gating, and sedative side effects of ketamine in the drug discrimination, conditioned place preference, pre-pulse inhibition and open-field tests. Like ketamine, the GLYX-13-induced antidepressant-like effects required AMPA/kainate receptor activation, as evidenced by the ability of NBQX to abolish the antidepressant-like effect. Both GLYX-13 and ketamine persistently (24 h) enhanced the induction of long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission and the magnitude of NMDAR-NR2B conductance at rat Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses in vitro. Cell surface biotinylation studies showed that both GLYX-13 and ketamine led to increases in both NR2B and GluR1 protein levels, as measured by Western analysis, whereas no changes were seen in mRNA expression (microarray and qRT-PCR). GLYX-13, unlike ketamine, produced its antidepressant-like effect when injected directly into the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). These results suggest that GLYX-13 produces an antidepressant-like effect without the side effects seen with ketamine at least in part by directly modulating NR2B-containing NMDARs in the MPFC. Furthermore, the enhancement of 'metaplasticity' by both GLYX-13 and ketamine may help explain the long-lasting antidepressant effects of these NMDAR modulators. GLYX-13 is currently in a Phase II clinical development program for treatment-resistant depression.

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Crossref · 10.1038/npp.2012.246

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  • In several studies, a single dose of ketamine reduced immobility in the forced swim test immediately after injection and had effects similar to those of an antidepressant.

    “In several studies, a single dose of ketamine reduced immobility in the forced swim test immediately after injection and had effects similar to those of an antidepressant. 482 , 483”

    From Major depressive disorder: hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment (2024) · cites this paper as [482]

    The Porsolt Test methods describe a single ketamine dose given one hour before testing, and the Results report a significant ketamine-versus-vehicle difference alongside a fluoxetine positive control. This supports an acute antidepressant-like effect in the forced-swim test, but not testing immediately after injection or the claim that this paper reports the finding across several studies. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Rapastinel reverses synaptic plasticity deficits and exhibits antidepressant-like effects in rodent models.

    “Of note, however, rapastinel, another drug that reverses synaptic plasticity deficits and exhibits antidepressant-like effects in rodent models 36,37 , has been studied in 3 clinical trials to date with relatively weak evidence for its efficacy 38 .”

    From Neuroplasticity in cognitive and psychological mechanisms of depression: an integrative model (2020) · cites this paper as [37]

    The Abstract reports antidepressant-like effects of GLYX-13 in rat tests, and the section on long-term potentiation reports enhanced hippocampal synaptic plasticity 24 hours after dosing (page numbers unavailable). The paper does not show that GLYX-13 reversed a pre-existing synaptic plasticity deficit; enhancement relative to vehicle does not establish reversal of a deficit. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Partial agonists at the NMDAR glycineB binding site, including GLYX-13 and D-cycloserine, manifest antidepressant effects in clinical trials and animal tests without sharing ketamine's NMDAR inhibition-mediated side effects.

    “Another finding challenging the NMDAR inhibition hypothesis of ketamine’s antidepressant mechanism of action is the fact that partial agonists at the NMDAR glycineB binding site, including GLYX-13 (i.e., rapastinel) and D-cycloserine manifest antidepressant effects in clinical trials 104, 105 and in animal tests 106–109, without sharing ketamine’s NMDAR inhibition-mediated side effects 109.”

    From Mechanisms of ketamine action as an antidepressant (2018) · cites this paper as [109]

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Authors
Burgdorf, J., Zhang, X.-L., Nicholson, K. L., Balster, R. L., David Leander, J., Stanton, P. K., Gross, A. L., Kroes, R. A., & Moskal, J. R.
Affiliations
  • Northwestern University (US)
  • New York Medical College (US)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
Corresponding author
Moskal, Joseph R
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2012-12-05
Volume
38
Issue
5
Pages
729-742
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2049022403
Cited by
284
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 22
FWCI
18.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Touro Scholar (Touro College) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Hope for Depression Research Foundation
  • Northwestern University
  • Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust
  • National Institutes of Health (NS044421)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R43MH071932, R01MH094835, MH094835)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA-01442, R01DA001442)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 044421, R01NS044421, R56NS044421)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
NMDA receptor, antidepressant-like effects, ketamine side effects, NR2B, metaplasticity, long-term potentiation, medial prefrontal cortex, non-NMDA receptors, GluR1, treatment-resistant depression, novelty-induced hypophagia, learned helplessness, drug discrimination
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Action Potentials, Animals, Antidepressive Agents, Brain, Conditioning, Operant, Depression, Disease Models, Animal, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Exploratory Behavior, Fluoxetine, Ketamine, Male, Oligopeptides, Reflex, Startle, Swimming, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Receptors, Glutamate, Long-Term Potentiation, Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists, Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists, Gene Expression Profiling, Rats

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