quinolinate; quinolinic acid

Function

• endogenous neurotoxin with toxicity effected through glutamate receptor activation & Ca+2 influx
• produced in the kynurenine pathway
• neurotoxic NMDA receptor antagonist & potential endogenous inhibitor of NMDA receptor signaling in axonal targeting, synaptogenesis & apoptosis during brain development
• quinolinate may also affect NMDA receptor signaling in pancreatic beta cells, osteoblasts, myocardial cells, & the gastrointestinal tract

Laboratory

• quinolinate in serum/plasma
• quinolinate/creatinine in urine

More general terms

• pyridine
• carboxylate

More specific terms

• quinolinate ribonucleotide

Additional terms

• kynurenine pathway

Database

• PubChem: http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=1066