The cleft-type cyclophanes (ACCn, DNCn and TsDCn) were found to strongly inhibit macroscopic currents at heteromeric NMDA receptors (NR1/NR2) but not AMPA receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes at voltage-clamp recording. The inhibition by cleft-type cyclophanes was voltage-dependent, because the inhibition was larger at - 100 mV than at -20 mV. Mutations at NR1 N650, located in the vestibule of the channel pore, reduced the inhibition by DNCn and TsDCn, suggesting that the residue (N650) interacts with these cleft-type cyclophanes. Cell toxicity of TsDCn on SH-SY5Y cells was slightly weaker than that of memantine. The neuroprotective effects of cleft-type cyclophanes against cell damage caused by NMDA were investigated in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Addition of 10 mu M DNCn or TsDCn into the medium ablated the neurotoxicity induced by NMDA, and a similar effect was also observed with memantine. The neuroprotective effects of cleft-type cyclophanes were then assayed on NMDA-induced seizures in mice. Intracerebroventricular injection of TsDCn (5 mg/mouse) decreased the seizure induced by intraperitoneal injection of NMDA (115 mg/kg) in mice. The results demonstrate that these cleft-type cyclophanes interact directly with the extracellular mouth of the NMDA channel pore and exhibit neuroprotective effects on NMDA-induced excitatory toxicity in primary cultured neurons and mice. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.