Table 1.
Most often evoked mechanisms responsible for glycine effects in non-neuronal cells.
| Cytoprotective effect | Modulatory effect | |
|---|---|---|
| Cells most studied | Renal cells | Immune cells |
| Hepatocytes | Macroglial cells | |
| Endothelial cells | Endothelial cells | |
| Main effect | Protection against ischemic necrosis | Modulation of proliferation, migration, differentiation, apoptosis,… |
| Active concentrations | Up to 10 mM | 0.1-1 mM |
| Calcium flux modulation | No | Yes |
| Uptake of 36-chloride | No | Yes |
| Chloride dependency | No | Yes |
| Pharmacological findings | No strychnine block described | Effects blocked by low concentrations of strychnine (1 μM) |
| Effects mimicked by structurally related amino acids (e.g. l-alanine, l-serine) | Effects mimicked by taurine and β-alanine | |
| Effects mimicked by high concentrations (1 mM) of strychnine and other chloride channel blockers | ||
| No mimicking by taurine | ||
| Molecular findings | Only β-subunits | Both α- and β-subunits |
| Electrophysiological findings | None | Only in slice preparations of macroglial cells |
| Suggested mechanism | Glycine sensitive death pathway | GlyR dependent modulation of calcium signalling |
| Unknown role of GlyR (subunit)s |