title: Ultrastructural evidence that mercuric chloride lowers the threshold for glutamate neurotoxicity in an organotypic culture of rat cerebellum.
abstract: Separate exposure of organotypic cultures, derived from newborn rat cerebellum, to non-toxic concentration of either 100 microM glutamate (GLU) or 1 microM mercuric chloride (MC), for as long as 3 days, produced no distinct ultrastructural changes in neurons and glial cells. By contrast, simultaneous exposure to both agents resulted, as early as after 30 min, in microvacuolar degeneration of neurons and later on in postsynaptic abnormalities, typically accompanying excitotoxic lesions but not heavy metal-induced lesions. The results indicate that MC at low micromolar concentrations lowers the threshold for GLU neurotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matyja
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albrecht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005971:Glutamates / Q000633:toxicity*; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000187:drug effects; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D005971:Glutamates; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D008627:Mercuric Chloride