title: Cyanide-induced neurotoxicity: calcium mediation of morphological changes in neuronal cells.
abstract: Calcium channel blockade decreases the elevation of brain calcium as well as the tremors produced by cyanide in mice. To determine if cyanide-induced morphological changes could also be inhibited by calcium channel blockade, the effect of diltiazem was studied in cultured rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, a neuronal model. Incubation with KCN (1 to 10 mM for 1 to 2 hr) caused depletion of secretory granules, alignment of remaining granules along the plasma membrane, and mitochondrial swelling. All these effects were inhibited by pretreatment with 0.01 mM diltiazem. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that cyanide (1 to 10 mM for 1 to 2 hr) produced loss of microvilli and bleb formation in PC12 cells. These changes were partially inhibited by preincubation with 0.01 mM diltiazem. Incubation of cells with 10 mM cyanide increased release of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) into the culture media at 60 and 120 min. A decrease in cell viability, as determined by trypan blue dye exclusion, paralleled the release of LDH. At 120 min of cyanide incubation, 24% of the cells excluded dye. Both the release of LDH and decreased cell viability were attenuated by pretreatment with diltiazem. The results indicate that the influx of extracellular calcium is an important factor mediating cyanide-induced morphologic changes in neuronal cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907.
authors.forename: E U
authors.initials: EU
authors.lastname: Maduh
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Turek
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Borowitz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebar
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Isom
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003486:Cyanides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000187:drug effects; D004110:Diltiazem / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008933:Mitochondrial Swelling / Q000187:drug effects; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D011190:Potassium Cyanide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D004110:Diltiazem; D011190:Potassium Cyanide; D002118:Calcium