title: Biological effects of tiagabine on primary cortical astrocyte cultures of rat.
abstract: Biological effects of tiagabine, a new antiepileptic drug, were analyzed on cultures of rat's cortical astrocytes. Tiagabine was added to the cultures at concentrations of 1 and 10 microg/ml, correspondent to therapeutic range; cell viability (tetrazolium salt assay and lactic dehydrogenase release), maturation and differentiation (glutamine synthetase activity) and presence of stress conditions (reactive oxygen species formation, inducible nitric oxide synthetase expression and 70 kDa heath shock protein production) were tested. Our results indicate that the addition of Tiagabine to primary astrocytes not only did not change significantly the examined metabolic activities but also seems to exert a protective action against oxidative stress. Thus, our data reinforce the idea that Tiagabine may be considered an effective promising drug in the treatment of epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardile
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavone
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Renis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perciavalle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000378:metabolism; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D009557:Nipecotic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D000078308:Tiagabine
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D009557:Nipecotic Acids; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase; D000078308:Tiagabine