1-(3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1-propyl)-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-4-piperidinol, a novel subtype selective inhibitor of the mouse type II GABA-transporter

The selectivity of new derivatives of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-uptake inhibitor, tiagabine was characterized at the four cloned mouse GABA transporters (mGAT1 through mGAT4) by measuring [H-3]-GABA uptake into stably transfected baby hamster kidney cells. While tiagabine is a highly selective inhibitor of mGAT1 (K-i=0.11+/-0.02 mu M), these derivatives exhibited low potencies at mGAT1 but differential activities at mGAT2, mGAT3 and mGAT4. In particular, 1-(3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1-propyl)-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-4-piperidinol (MNC 05-2090) was a potent inhibitor of mGAT2 (K-i = 1.4+/-0.3 mu M) showing at least 10 fold selectivity over mGAT1, mGAT3 and mGAT4. NNC 05-2090 is the first subtype selective inhibitor of mGAT2 and may represent a novel useful tool for investigating the physiological roles of GAT2 in the brain and periphery.