title: Ethanol and nerve growth factor effects on calcium homeostasis in cultured embryonic rat medial septal neurons before and during depolarization.
abstract: Ethanol and nerve growth factor (NGF) affect the survival of cholinergic neurons in the rat medial septum. To investigate whether calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis in these neurons is affected by ethanol or NGF treatment, changes in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were studied in embryonic (E21) cultured medial septal neurons before stimulation (basal) and during stimulation with high potassium (K+). Changes in [Ca2+]i across time were measured in cultures of neurons treated without ethanol or with 100, 200, 400, or 800 mg% ethanol with NGF (+NGF) or without NGF (-NGF). Changes in [Ca2+]i were analyzed from fluorescence images, using indo-1. The effect of ethanol or NGF treatment was to reduce the rise in basal [Ca2+]i. The combination of ethanol and NGF treatment in +NGF neurons led to increases in basal [Ca2+]i with the greatest increase in basal [Ca2+]i occurring with 200 mg% ethanol. The effect of ethanol or NGF was to increase [Ca2+]i during stimulation with high K+. The greatest increases in [Ca2+]i occurred with 100 and 800 mg% ethanol. Together, ethanol and NGF treatment in +NGF-treated neurons led to significantly greater increases or decreases in K+ stimulated changes in [Ca2+]i compared to similarly treated -NGF neurons. We conclude that in medial septal neurons (before and during depolarization) changes in Ca2+ homeostasis occur in the presence of ethanol or NGF. The changes in [Ca2+]i following ethanol treatment are greater when NGF is present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610-0244, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002614:Chelating Agents; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects*; D007211:Indoles; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009467:Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D002614:Chelating Agents; D007211:Indoles; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009467:Neuromuscular Depolarizing Agents; D000431:Ethanol; C048960:indo-1; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium