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The channels of four types of ionotropic glutamate receptor (NMDA receptors and Ca-permeable AMPA receptors of rat brain neurons, and cation-selective receptors from mollusk neurons and insect postsynaptic muscle membranes) and two subtypes of nicotinic cholinoreceptor (from frog neuromuscular junctions and cat sympathetic ganglia) were studied. The structural characteristics of channels determining their susceptibility to blockade by organic mono- and dications were identified. These studies used homologous series of adamantane and phenylcyclohexyl derivatives. These experiments showed that the receptors studied here could be divided into two groups. The first group included the AMPA receptor and the mollusk and insect receptors. These were characterized by the lack of effect on the part of monocations and a strong relationship between the activity of dications and the distance between nitrogen atoms. The second group included the NMDA receptor and both subtypes of the nicotinic cholinoreceptor (muscular and neuronal). Here, conversely, the activity of monocations and dications, regardless of their lengths, were essentially identical. A model for the binding sites of blockers in channels is proposed, which takes these observations into account.

The topography of the channel binding site in glutamate receptors (AMPA and NMDA types of rat brain neurons, receptors of molluscan neurons and insect muscle), and in two subtypes of nicotinic cholinoreceptors (in frog muscle and cat sympathetic ganglion), has been investigated by comparison of the blocking effects of mono- and dicationic derivatives of adamantane and phenylcyclohexyl. The channels studied can be divided into two groups. The first one includes AMPA receptor and glutamate receptors of mollusc and insect, and is characterised by the absence of activity of monocationic drugs and the strong dependence of dicationic once on the internitrogen distance in the drug molecule. The second group includes NMDA receptor and both nicotinic cholinoreceptors. Contrary, here the blocking potency of monocations and dications are practically equal irrespective of molecule length. The data obtained suggest that hydrophobic and nucleophilic components of the binding site are located close to each other in the channels of the NMDA receptor type but are separated by approximately 10 A in the AMPA receptor channel.

It has been shown that a homologous series of adamantane derivatives of general structure Ad-CH2-N+H2-(CH2)5-N+R3, where Ad, adamantane, R varied from H (hydrogen) to t-Bu (tertiary butyl), blocks the open state of postsynaptic activated channels. In the presence of the drugs studied the decay of evoked cholinergic postsynaptic currents in frog neuromuscular junction could be fitted by two exponentials. However, the rate constants of interaction of blocker with channel did not depend on the R structure and membrane potential. The rate of blockade of glutamatergic postsynaptic currents in insect neuromuscular junction increased as the radicals at nitrogen atom became heavier, but was independent on membrane potential. The drugs studied affected in voltage dependent manner the kinetic properties of single channels (recorded in outside-out patches excised from cultured neurones of embryonic rat brain cortex) induced by NMDA application. Each of these compounds evoked fast flickering of single channels between an open and blocked state. Drugs effectively prevented the convulsions evoked by intraventricular injection of NMDA into mouse brain. The compound IEM-1754 that was the most potent blocker in the experiments on NMDA-activated single channels possessed six times higher anticonvulsant activity than dizocilpine (MK-801).

The blocking action of alpha-polypeptides from the venoms of elapid snakes (Bungarus multicinctus and Naja naja siamensis) was studied on leech dorsal muscle. It was shown that these neurotoxins failed to inhibit the responses to mononitrogen cholinomimetics (acetylcholine, nicotine, carbamylcholine, etc.). The capacity of neurotoxins to inhibit the responses to the bisquaternary cholinommimetics depended upon the length of the molecule. The neurotoxins were active against the "shorter" cholinomimetics, such as decamethonium, and bischolinic esters of malonic, succinic and glutaric acids. The "longer" cholinomimetics (bischolinic esters of adipinic, pimelic, suberic, azelaic, sebacic acids retained their full activity after the treatment of leech dorsal muscle by neurotoxins. Possible explanations of the selective action of neurotoxins are discussed.