In vivo microdialysis study of (±)-kavain on veratridine-induced glutamate release

This is the first microdialysis study to address the effects of (+/-)-kavain on veratridine-induced glutamate release in freely moving rats. (+/-)-Kavain (100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced veratridine-induced glutamate release compared with that of vehicle-treated controls. Maximum extracellular glutamate levels were obtained 20-40 min after veratridine stimulation (500 mu M, added to the perfusate). In the control group the increase was 301% and in the (+/-)-kavain group the increase was significantly reduced to 219% (the basal value was 100%). These results demonstrate that (+/-)-kavain reduces veratridine-induced glutamate release in vivo, which confirms previous in vitro data. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.