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Abstract

This review considers the results of recent studies on marine excitatory amino acids, including kainic acid, domoic acid, dysiherbaine, and neodysiherbaine A, known as potent agonists of one of subtypes of glutamate receptors, the so-called kainate receptors. Novel information, particularly concerning biosynthesis, environmental roles, biological action, and syntheses of these marine metabolites, obtained mainly in last 10–15 years, is summarized. The goal of the review was not only to discuss recently obtained data, but also to provide a brief introduction to the field of marine excitatory amino acid research.

1. Introduction

Throughout the 55-year history of the G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (PIBOC), Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Science, a vast variety of new marine-derived natural compounds including different glycosides, polar steroids, alkaloids, lipids, and other metabolites have been isolated from echinoderms and sponges, ascidians, algae, fungi, and marine bacteria and thoroughly studied. Many of the discovered new natural compounds proved to have a protective action and were repeatedly mentioned in well-known series of review articles published in Natural Products Reports []. To protect themselves against predators and pathogens, marine organisms use a variety of structural groups of toxins. The latter are synthesized by lower plants, including microalgae [,,], and then accumulated by some invertebrates that transfer them up to higher trophic levels. Marine excitatory amino acids (MEAAs) that belong to this category and play an important role in marine communities have found application in pharmacology. To date, there are only three known groups of marine-derived excitatory amino acids: (1) kainic acid and related compounds, (2) domoic acid and some its derivatives, (3) sponge-derived dysiherbaine and neodysiherbaine A, which specifically bind and activate the kainate-type of glutamate receptors (GluRs).