title: Protection of astrocytes by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and citrate ameliorates neuronal injury under hypoxic conditions.
abstract: Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) protects astrocytes from hypoxic injury in vitro. To determine whether FBP and citrate (inhibitors of phosphofructokinase) ameliorate hypoxia-induced injury to neurons and, if they do, whether the protective effects are a direct result of their actions on neurons or a consequence of their actions on astrocytes, we added FBP or citrate to the media of normoxic and hypoxic 'pure', mixed and co-culture systems. FBP (3.5 mM) and citrate (10 microM-2 mM) decreased release of LDH from astrocytes following 24 h of hypoxia. Eight hours of hypoxia killed pure neuronal cultures and neither FBP nor citrate prevented this death. However, in mixed and co-culture systems, FBP and citrate increased neuronal viability (as determined by the ratio of live-to-total cells), even after 47 h of hypoxia. In co-culture, following 24 h of hypoxia, both FBP and citrate reduced neuronal release of LDH and neuronal death. Fluorocitrate, a suicidal-inhibitor of aconitase, also protected astrocytes, but not neurons, from hypoxia in 'pure' culture, presumably by increasing intracellular citrate concentrations through inhibition of the catalysis of citrate to isocitrate We conclude that FBP and citrate attenuate hypoxic neuronal injury through their effects on astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco 94143, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gregory
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005631:Fructokinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D005635:Fructosediphosphates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002534:Hypoxia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005635:Fructosediphosphates; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019343:Citric Acid; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005631:Fructokinases; C046173:fructokinase; C029063:fructose-1,6-diphosphate