title: Amphetamines induce apoptosis and regulation of bcl-x splice variants in neocortical neurons.
abstract: Amphetamineanalogs have emerged as popular recreational drugs of abuse. The number of reports of these substances producing severe acute toxicity and death is increasing. In 'Ecstasy' -associated deaths, focal necrosis in the liver and individual myocytic necrosis has been reported. Furthermore, serotonergic and dopaminergic neuronal cell damage has been observed in experimental amphetamine intoxication in laboratory animals. Here we demonstrate that subchronic exposure to D-amphetamine, methamphetamine, methylenedioxyamphetamine, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('Ecstasy') results in significant neurotoxicity in rat neocortical neurons in vitro. This neuronal cell death is accompanied by endonucleosomal DNA cleavage and differential expression of anti- and proapoptotic bcl-xL/S splice variants. In addition, we observed pronounced induction of cell stress-associated transcription factor c-jun and translation initiation inhibitor p97 after amphetamine treatment. These data support that the neurotoxic effects of different amphetamines are extended to rat neocortical neurons and that apoptotic pathways are involved in amphetamine-induced neurotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Forensic Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany. stumm@mailer.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stumm
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schlegel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Würz
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Mennel
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Krieg
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vedder
mesh_terms: D015104:3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000662:Amphetamines / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity; D019579:Neocortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051020:bcl-X Protein
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; C494813:Bcl2l1 protein, rat; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D008694:Methamphetamine; D015104:3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; D003913:Dextroamphetamine