title: Alcohol reduces neurofilament protein levels in primary cultured hippocampal neurons.
abstract: High concentrations of alcohol (> or = 1.8%) were shown previously to impair health and viability of cultured hippocampal neurons. Because neurofilament proteins are essential for neuronal process outgrowth and differentiation, the effects of alcohol on these proteins were determined in the neuronal processes of primary cultured gestational day 18 rat hippocampal neurons. At the relatively lower concentrations used in the present study, alcohol caused a concentration-dependent reduction (< or = 47%) in 68 and 200 kDa neurofilament proteins (p < 0.05). Alcohol caused a 32% downward trend in 160 kDa neurofilament protein levels. Alcohol up to 1% (72-h exposure) produced no obvious alterations in neurite extension or explant morphology, and there were no visual signs of cell death. The sensitive MTT dye reduction assay showed no biochemical evidence of decreased cell viability at < or = 0.5% alcohol. The 32-47% reductions in neurofilament protein levels in vitro may hold implications for later hippocampal neuronal differentiation events in animals prenatally exposed to alcohol.
authors.affiliation: C. S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA. dsaunder@sgih.roc.wayne.edu
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: DiCerbo
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hannigan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D016501:Neurites / Q000187:drug effects; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D000431:Ethanol