title: Protection by pyruvate and malate against glutamate-mediated neurotoxicity.
abstract: Pyruvate and malate (P/M) increase the contribution of mitochondria to neuronal calcium homeostasis. We have now found that cortical neuronal cultures utilize pyruvate preferentially over glucose. The supply of pyruvate and malate protects hippocampal and cortical neurons against delayed cell death occurring 24 h after glutamate exposure. High [Ca2+]i levels attained during and after glutamate exposure were reduced when neurons were incubated in the presence of P/M. At the single cell level, this was reflected in a decrease in the number of neurons that respond to glutamate with high rises in [Ca2+]i. The results suggest that the ability to prevent large increases in [Ca2+]i may underlie the beneficial effects of pyruvate and malate during glutamate excitotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Molecular, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villalba
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cerdán
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bogónez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Satrústegui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008293:Malates / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; D009498:Neurotoxins; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C030298:malic acid; D019289:Pyruvic Acid; D002118:Calcium