Mouse monoclonal antibodies against the most acutely toxic substances, botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) of types A, B, E, and F, was generated and characterized, that recognize their respective toxins in natural toxin complex. Based on these antibodies, we developed sandwich-ELISA for quantitative detection of these toxins. For each respective toxin the detection limit of the assay was: BoNT/A - 0.4 ng/ml, BoNT/B - 0.5 ng/ml; BoNT/E - 0.1 ng/ml; and for BoNT/F - 2.4 ng/ml. The developed assays permitted quantitative identification of the BoNTs in canned meat and vegetables. The BNTA-4.1 and BNTA-9.1 antibodies possessed neutralizing activity against natural complex of the botulinium toxin type A in vivo, both individually and in mixture, the mixture of the antibodies neutralized the higher dose of the toxin. The BNTA-4.1 antibody binds specifically the light chain (the chain with protease activity) of the toxin, whereas BNTA-9.1 interacts with the heavy chain. We believe that the BNTA-4.1 and BNTA-9.1 monoclonal antibodies are prospective candidates for development of humanized therapeutic antibodies for treatment of BoNT/A-caused botulism.

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Microinjection of kainic acid into rat hippocampus causes excitotoxic neuronal damage predominantly in the CA3 and CA1 fields. These lesions can be significantly reduced by simultaneous administration of MPEP, a negative allosteric modulator of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors, and LY354740, an agonist of type 2 metabotropic glutamate receptors. The decrease in neuronal death in the hippocampus during pharmacological modulation was paralleled by adaptive changes in gene expression. In the hippocampus, gene expression of type 5 postsynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptor was close to the control level, and in the frontal cortex expression of the gene of α-subunit of the GABAA receptor returned to normal. In the frontal cortex, a reciprocal relationship was observed for type 2 metabotropic glutamate receptor: expression of the corresponding gene decreased in response to pharmacological activation.