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We used northern and western blotting to measure the quantity of glutamate and GABA transporters mRNA and their proteins within the hippocampal tissue of rats with epileptogenesis. Chronic seizures were induced by amygdalar injection of kainic acid 60 days before death. We found that expression of the mRNA and protein of the glial glutamate transporters GLAST and GLT-1 were down-regulated in the kainic acid-administered group. In contrast, EAAC-1 and GAT-3 mRNA and their proteins were increased, while GAT-1 mRNA and protein were not changed. We performed in vivo microdialysis in the freely moving state. During the interictal state, the extracellular glutamate concentration was increased, whereas the GABA level was decreased in the kainic acid group. Following potassium-induced depolarization, glutamate overflow was higher and the recovery time to the basal release was prolonged in the kainic acid group relative to controls. Our data suggest that epileptogenesis in rats with kainic acid-induced chronic seizures is associated with the collapse of extracellular glutamate regulation caused by both molecular down-regulation and functional failure of glutamate transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structure of a previously unreported polymorph (form II) of 2,4-dinitro-phenyl-hydrazine (DNPH), C6H6N4O4, was determined at 90 K. The first polymorph (form I) is described in the monoclinic space group P21/c [Okabe et al. (1993 ▶). Acta Cryst. C49, 1678-1680; Wardell et al. (2006 ▶). Acta Cryst. C62, o318-320], whereas form II is in the monoclinic space group Cc. The mol-ecular structures in forms I and II are closely similar, with the nitro groups at the 2- and 4-positions being almost coplanar with the benzene ring [dihedral angles of 3.54 (1) and 3.38 (1)°, respectively in II]. However, their packing arrangements are completely different. Form I exhibits a herringbone packing motif, whereas form II displays a coplanar chain structure. Each chain in form II is connected to adjacent chains by the inter-molecular inter-action between hydrazine NH2 and 2-nitro groups, forming a sheet normal to (101). The sheet is stabilized by N-H⋯π inter-actions.