N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists

摘要

The present invention is based in part on the surprising discovery that Tanshinones from Salvia miltiorrhiza act as allosteric high-potency N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists. Pharmacological blockade of excessive activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) greatly reduces ischemic injury of neurons in cell culture and animal models. Tanshinones thus represent a novel class of compounds with NMDA receptor blocking activities with potential for the development of safe neuroprotective drugs for therapy of stroke and other neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.