Domoic acid toxicity in rats and mice after intracerebroventricular administration: comparison with excitatory amino acid agonists.

A behavioural study of the domoic acid (DOM)-induced convulsive behaviour after intracerebroventricular administration was carried out in rats and mice. DOM-induced behaviours were compared to those elicited by other excitatory amino acid (EAA) agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), alpha-amino-3- hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and kainic acid (KA), in such a way as to assess the possible similarities between DOM-induced effects and EAA subtype receptor activation in vivo. In rat, DOM (0.03-3 nmol/rat) caused a complex pattern of convulsive behaviour, quantified by means of a 15-point rating scale. DOM-induced behavioural profile was characterized at the lower doses by "preconvulsive" behaviours as wet dog shakes, hypermotility, mild facial clonus. At higher doses, DOM caused clonic convulsions followed by the "status epilepticus" syndrome (wet dog shakes, forelimb clonus, rearing, salivation). Rats treated with KA (0.3-10 nmol/rat) showed an almost identical behavioural profile. AMPA (1-10 nmol/rat)-induced convulsive behaviour was similar to DOM and KA only at the higher doses. NMDA (0.25-10 nmol/rat) caused clonic convulsions but not "status epilepticus". In mice, similar results were obtained: all the tested drugs induced generalized seizures, but only animals treated with DOM, KA and AMPA showed a prolonged sequence of seizures with forelimb clonus. Our results confirm the findings reported in the literature and support the hypothesis that DOM and KA act at the same EAA receptor.