Tags: Chemical Compound, Chemical Substance.
Kainic acid (kainate) is a natural marine acid present in some seaweed. Kainic acid is a potent neuroexcitatory amino acid that acts by activating glutamate: the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Glutamate is produced by the cell’s metabolic processes and there are four major classifications of glutamate receptors: NMDA receptors AMPA receptors kainite receptors and the metabotropic glutamate receptors.
