title: Menadione toxicity in cultured rat cortical astrocytes.
abstract: We examined the effect of menadione on the morphology and viability of cultured astrocytes. Exposure of astrocytes to menadione induced a progressive cell death. The toxic effect of menadione was concentration- and time-dependent. Menadione toxicity was blocked by antioxidants, superoxide dismutase, catalase and iron chelators, indicating that superoxide anions (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals (.OH) are all involved in menadione toxicity. Menadione cytotoxicity should be useful as a model for studying the mechanisms underlying oxidative injury in the brain and for the screening of drugs that may attenuate cell damage caused by oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002374:Catalase / Q000494:pharmacology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000633:toxicity; D016877:Oxidants / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000494:pharmacology; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D016877:Oxidants; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014812:Vitamin K; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D003676:Deferoxamine