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Electrically evoked [3H]GABA release from cerebral cortical cultures: An in vitro approach for studying glutamate-induced neurotoxicity

✍ Scribed by Maria Cristina Tomasini; Tiziana Antonelli


Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Year
1998
Tongue
English
Weight
127 KB
Volume
30
Category
Article
ISSN
0887-4476

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✦ Synopsis


In the present study the [ 3 H]GABA release in the rat cerebral cortex primary cultures, kept at rest or electrically stimulated, was measured. In addition, the development of excitotoxic cell damage caused by pretreating the cells for 10 min with increasing glutamate concentrations (10-300 µM) was examined 2 and 24 h after the insult. Cellular injury was quantitatively assessed by measuring the electrically-evoked [ 3 H]GABA release, the [ 3 H]GABA uptake, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide staining.

Trains of electrical pulses at different frequencies (2, 5, 10, and 20 Hz) applied to the cultures elicited a [ 3 H]GABA release which was frequency related, Ca ϩϩ -dependent, and tetrodotoxin sensitive. Either 2 or 24 h after glutamate exposure, the electrically evoked [ 3 H]GABA release was reduced by glutamate in a concentration dependent manner, while [ 3 H]GABA uptake and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide staining appeared less sensitive. The N-methyl-D-aspartate, ␣-amino-3-hydroxy-5methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid and metabotropic receptor antagonists were tested on 100 µM glutamate-exposed cells and a prominent N-methyl-D-aspartate receptormediated component was observed.

The present findings indicate that the electrically-evoked [ 3 H]GABA release from cerebral cortical cells could represent a useful approach not only to study the spike-triggered neurosecretion but also to the neuronal damage caused by glutamate, as well as to test potential neuroprotective compounds.