title: Cellular and mitochondrial changes in glutamate-induced HT4 neuronal cell death.
abstract: Elevated levels of extracellular glutamate are neurotoxic. The cytotoxic property of extracellular glutamate is known to mediate two primary mechanisms, excitotoxicity and excitotoxicity-independent processes. The excitotoxicity-independent pathway was investigated in the current study in a mouse hippocampal-derived HT4 cell line. Exposure of HT4 cells to glutamate for 12h induced loss of cell viability preceded by rapid loss of intracellular reduced glutathione followed by accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, elevation of intracellular Ca(2+), progressive loss of mitochondrial membrane potential swelling and loss of mitochondrial outer membrane integrity. Glutamate-induced loss of DNA integrity has been detected. The antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and trolox, mitochondrial calcium uniporter inhibitor Ruthenium Red and protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide all showed protection against glutamate-induced toxicity. None of the protective agents except for alpha-tocopherol controlled the glutamate-induced reactive oxygen species build-up. However, these cell death regulators prevented the glutamate-induced mitochondrial damage and regulated glutamate-induced increase in intracellular Ca(2+). Carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenyl-hydrazone, a mitochondrial uncoupler, partially protected against glutamate-induced cell death and mitochondrial damage, while the mitochondrial ribosomal inhibitor chloramphenicol and extracellular Ca(2+) chelator ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid did not protect the cells against glutamate treatment. The results of this study demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction was a key event in the excitotoxicity-independent component of neuronal cell death. Reactive oxygen species accumulation and glutathione depletion were prominent in glutamate-treated cells; however, these events were not direct mediators of cell death.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tirosh
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Packer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014810:Vitamin E; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005978:Glutathione; D002118:Calcium