title: Toxicity of ricin and volkensin, two ribosome-inactivating proteins, to microglia, astrocyte, and neuron cultures.
abstract: Ricin and volkensin, two potent toxins belonging to the family of ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs), have been largely exploited in recent years in in vivo experiments of neuronal degeneration consequent to suicide transport or immunolesioning. We have determined both the toxicity of, and the inhibition of, protein synthesis by ricin and volkensin in in vitro cultures enriched in microglial cells, astrocytes, or neurons. In microglial cultures, 50% of toxicity (estimated by LDH released from dead cells) after 24 h exposure to RIPs was obtained with volkensin at 2.2x10(-12) M concentration and 50% of protein synthesis inhibition at 2x10(-14) M concentration. Both values were higher by about one order of magnitude in astrocyte-enriched cultures. Toxicity of, and inhibition of, protein synthesis by, ricin were lower for both cell types by about 1 order of magnitude as compared to volkensin. Cerebellar granule neurons in culture survived remarkably well to 24 h exposure to ricin or volkensin, although their protein synthesis was effectively inhibited by the two toxins with a potency similar to that found for astrocytes. These results demonstrate that glial cells, in particular microglia, are very sensitive to RIPs toxicity and should, therefore, be a primary target of these toxins when injected in vivo. Thus, the damage observed after in vivo experiments could be partly related to diffusion of toxic substances from early-affected glial cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sparapani
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buonamici
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ciani
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Battelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stirpe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contestabile
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D037121:Plant Lectins; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000633:toxicity*; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D012270:Ribosomes; D012276:Ricin / Q000633:toxicity*; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D037121:Plant Lectins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D054790:Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D012276:Ricin; C049134:volkensin; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D009699:N-Glycosyl Hydrolases; D007930:Leucine