In
pharmacology, a GABA transaminase inhibitor is an
enzyme inhibitor
An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to an enzyme and blocks its activity. Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions necessary for life, in which substrate molecules are converted into products. An enzyme facilitates a sp ...
that acts upon
GABA transaminase
In enzymology, 4-aminobutyrate transaminase (), also called GABA transaminase or 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase, or GABA-T, is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction:
:4-aminobutanoate + 2-oxoglutarate \rightleftharpoons succinate sem ...
.
Inhibition of GABA transaminase enzymes reduces the degradation of GABA, leading to increased neuronal GABA concentrations.
Examples include
valproic acid
Valproate (VPA) and its valproic acid, sodium valproate, and valproate semisodium forms are medications primarily used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder and prevent migraine headaches. They are useful for the prevention of seizures in those ...
,
vigabatrin,
phenylethylidenehydrazine
Phenylethylidenehydrazine (PEH), also known as 2-phenylethylhydrazone or β-phenylethylidenehydrazine, is an inhibitor of the enzyme GABA transaminase (GABA-T). It is a metabolite of the antidepressant phenelzine and is responsible for its el ...
(and drugs that metabolize to it, such as
phenelzine
Phenelzine, sold under the brand name Nardil, among others, is a non-selective and irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) of the hydrazine class which is primarily used as an antidepressant and anxiolytic. Along with tranylcypromine an ...
),
ethanolamine-''O''-sulfate (EOS), and L-
cycloserine
Cycloserine, sold under the brand name Seromycin, is a GABA transaminase inhibitor and an antibiotic, used to treat tuberculosis. Specifically it is used, along with other antituberculosis medications, for active drug resistant tuberculosis. It ...
.
Certain members of this class are used as
anticonvulsants.
References
{{Enzyme inhibition
*