A comparative study of the actions of structurally diverse allosteric modulators on mammalian (human α₃ β₂ γ_2L) or invertebrate (Drosophila melanogaster Rdl or a splice variant of Rdl) recombinant GABA receptors has been made using the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system and the two electrode voltage‐clamp technique.

Oocytes preinjected with the appropriate cRNAs responded to bath applied GABA with a concentration‐dependent inward current. EC₅₀ values of 102 ± 18 μm; 152 ± 10 μm and 9.8 ± 1.7 μm were determined for human α₃ β₁ γ_2L, Rdl splice variant and the Rdl receptors respectively.

Pentobarbitone enhanced GABA‐evoked currents mediated by either the mammalian or invertebrate receptors. Utilizing the appropriate GABA EC₁₀, the EC₅₀ for potentiation was estimated to be 45 ± 1 μm, 312 ± 8 μm and 837 ± 25 μm for human α₃ β₁ γ_2L, Rdl splice variant and Rdl receptors respectively. Maximal enhancement (expressed relative to the current induced by the EC₁₀ concentration of GABA where this latter response = 1) at the mammalian receptor (10.2 ± 1 fold) was greater than that at either the Rdl splice variant (5.5 ± 1.3 fold) or Rdl (7.9 ± 0.8 fold) receptors.

Pentobarbitone directly activated the human α₃ β₁ γ_2L receptor with an EC₅₀ of 1.2 ± 0.03 mM and had a maximal effect amounting to 3.3 ± 0.4 fold of the response evoked by the EC₁₀ concentration of GABA. Currents evoked by pentobarbitone were blocked by 10–30 μm picrotoxin and potentiated by 0.3 μm flunitrazepam. Pentobarbitone did not directly activate the invertebrate GABA receptors.

5α‐Pregnan‐3α‐ol‐20‐one potentiated GABA‐evoked currents mediated by the human α₃ β₁ γ_2L receptor with an EC₅₀ of 87 ± 3 nM and a maximal enhancement of 6.7 ± 0.8 fold of that produced by the GABA EC₁₀ concentration. By contrast, relatively high concentrations (3–10 μm) of this steroid had only a modest effect on the Rdl receptor and its splice variant.

A small direct effect of 5α‐pregnan‐3α‐ol‐20‐one (0.3–10 μm) was detected for the human α₃ β₁ γ_2L receptor (maximal effect only 0.08 ± 0.01 times that of the GABA EC₁₀). This response was antagonized by 30 μm picrotoxin and enhanced by flunitrazepam (0.3 μm). 5α‐Pregnan‐3α‐ol‐20‐one did not directly activate the invertebrate GABA receptors.

Propofol enhanced GABA‐evoked currents mediated by human α₃ β₁ γ_2L and Rdl splice variant receptors with EC₅₀ values of 3.5 ± 0.1 μm and 8 ± 0.3 μm respectively. The maximal enhancement was similar at the two receptor types (human 11 ± 1.8 fold; invertebrate 8.8 ± 1.4 fold that of the GABA EC₁₀).

Propofol directly activated the human α₃ β₁ γ_2L receptor with an EC₅₀ of 129 ± 10 μm, and at a maximally effective concentration, evoked a current amounting to 3.5 ± 0.5 times that elicited by a concentration of GABA producing 10% of the maximal response. The response to propofol was blocked by 10–30 μm picrotoxin and enhanced by flunitrazepam (0.3 μm). Propofol did not directly activate the invertebrate Rdl splice variant receptor.

GABA‐evoked currents mediated by the human α₃ β₁ γ_2L receptor were potentiated by etomidate (EC₅₀ = 7.7 ± 0.2 μm) and maximally enhanced to 8 ± 0.8 fold of the response to an EC₁₀ concentration of GABA. By contrast, the Rdl, or Rdl splice variant forms of the invertebrate GABA receptor were insensitive to the positive allosteric modulating actions of etomidate. Neither the mammalian nor the invertebrate receptors, were directly activated by etomidate.

δ‐Hexachlorocyclohexane enhanced GABA‐evoked currents with EC₅₀ values of 3.4 ± 0.1 μm and 3.0 ± 0.1 μm for the human α₃ β₁ γ_2L receptor and …