Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(4)

Key Documents

K0250

Sigma-Aldrich

Kainic acid monohydrate

≥99% (TLC), powder, ionotropic glutamate receptor (kainate class) agonist

Synonym(s):

Digenin, Kainate, 2-Carboxy-3-carboxymethyl-4-isopropenylpyrrolidine

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C10H15NO4 · H2O
CAS Number:
Molecular Weight:
231.25
MDL number:
UNSPSC Code:
12352106
PubChem Substance ID:
NACRES:
NA.77

product name

Kainic acid monohydrate, ≥99% (TLC)

Assay

≥99% (TLC)

form

powder

impurities

Glutamate, free

solubility

H2O: soluble

storage temp.

2-8°C

SMILES string

O.CC(=C)[C@H]1CN[C@@H]([C@H]1CC(O)=O)C(O)=O

InChI

1S/C10H15NO4.H2O/c1-5(2)7-4-11-9(10(14)15)6(7)3-8(12)13;/h6-7,9,11H,1,3-4H2,2H3,(H,12,13)(H,14,15);1H2/t6-,7+,9-;/m0./s1

InChI key

FZNZRJRSYLQHLT-SLGZUKMRSA-N

Looking for similar products? Visit Product Comparison Guide

General description

Kainic acid monohydrate serves as an agonist for kainate-class ionotropic glutamate receptors, initiating seizures and neurodegeneration in live organisms. It is employed to induce experimental epilepsy in rodents and to explore the mechanisms underlying excitation-induced neuronal apoptosis.

Application

Kainic acid (KA) has been used:
  • tostudy mechanisms of excitation-induced apoptosis and epilepsy.
  • to hamper themitochondrial function ()
  • used to induce c-fosexpression in the mice′s brains, specifically targeting the dorsal hippocampus.()

Biochem/physiol Actions

Kainic acid monohydrate disrupts mitochondrial function by inducing the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and reducing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT). It also triggers the generation of lipid peroxides, which are key mediators in initiating and regulating inflammation and oxidative stress.
Kainic acid monohydrate is an agonist at the kainate class of ionotropic glutamate receptors, which induces seizures and neurodegeneration in vivo and is used to induce experimental epilepsy in rodents and study the mechanisms of excitation-induced neuronal apoptosis.

Features and Benefits

This compound is a featured product for Neuroscience research. Click here to discover more featured Neuroscience products. Learn more about bioactive small molecules for other areas of research at sigma.com/discover-bsm.
This compound is featured on the Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters and Glutamate Receptors (Ion Channel Family) pages of the Handbook of Receptor Classification and Signal Transduction. To browse other handbook pages, click here.

Preparation Note

Dissolve in 1-2 drops of 1N NaOH then bring to volume with water or aqueous buffer. Can be stored 1-2 days refrigerated.

related product

Product No.
Description
Pricing

Storage Class Code

11 - Combustible Solids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable

Personal Protective Equipment

dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves

Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Xing-Mei Zhang et al.
Current neuropharmacology, 9(2), 388-398 (2011-12-02)
Glutamate excitotoxicity contributes to a variety of disorders in the central nervous system, which is triggered primarily by excessive Ca(2+) influx arising from overstimulation of glutamate receptors, followed by disintegration of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and ER stress, the
Xin Zhang et al.
Scientific reports, 9(1), 4518-4518 (2019-03-16)
Epilepsy is a multi-etiological brain dysfunction syndrome. Hippocampal neuronal damage induced by seizures may be one of the causes leading to cognitive impairment, but the underlying mechanism remains to be further elucidated. The kainic acid (KA) model of temporal lobe
A Kondratyev et al.
Brain research. Molecular brain research, 75(2), 216-224 (2000-02-25)
In the aftermath of prolonged continuous seizure activity (status epilepticus, SE), neuronal cell death occurs in the brain regions through which the seizure propagates. Recent studies have implicated apoptotic processes in this seizure-related injury. Because activation of caspase-3-like cysteine proteases
Qun Wang et al.
Molecular neurobiology, 31(1-3), 3-16 (2005-06-15)
Neuronal excitation involving the excitatory glutamate receptors is recognized as an important underlying mechanism in neurodegenerative disorders. Excitation resulting from stimulation of the ionotropic glutamate receptors is known to cause the increase in intracellular calcium and trigger calcium-dependent pathways that
D Schmitz et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98(20), 11003-11008 (2001-09-27)
Hippocampal mossy fibers, which are the axons of dentate granule cells, form powerful excitatory synapses onto the proximal dendrites of CA3 pyramidal cells. It has long been known that high-affinity binding sites for kainate, a glutamate receptor agonist, are present

Articles

DISCOVER Bioactive Small Molecules for Neuroscience

DISCOVER Bioactive Small Molecules for Neuroscience

DISCOVER Bioactive Small Molecules for Neuroscience

DISCOVER Bioactive Small Molecules for Neuroscience

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service