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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Oct 29;121(1):100–114. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.10.003

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Possible pharmacological mechanisms of GHB. Structures of 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), two GHB prodrugs that are metabolized to GHB in vivo. Structures of GABA, GHB (sodium salt), and NCS-382. GABA and GHB are reversibly metabolized in vivo. Three possible pharmacological mechanisms for GHB. GHB is metabolized to GABA, which binds to GABAA and GABAB receptors, GHB binds to GABAB and GHB receptors, and NCS-382 binds to GHB receptors. Selective ligands for GABAA, GABAB, and GHB receptors are shown below the respective depiction of each receptor.