title: Tiagabine treatment and DNA damage in rat astrocytes: an in vitro study by comet assay.
abstract: We studied in vitro the effects of Tiagabine on genomic DNA of cortical rat astrocytes. To evaluate DNA damage, we used a relatively simple technique called Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis or Comet assay. Tiagabine was dissolved in culture medium and added at concentration of 1, 10, 20 and 50 microg/ml on 12-day old cultured astrocytes. In presence of 1 and 10 microg/ml of Tiagabine, no DNA damage was observed after 48 h of treatment. A moderate DNA damage was instead observed for cells exposed to 20 microg/ml of antiepileptic drug. Finally, DNA fragmentation was more evident after treatment with 50 microg/ml of Tiagabine. We conclude that Tiagabine, at the usual recommended doses, does not appear to influence negatively the cortical rat astrocytes, inducing DNA fragmentation only at very high concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardile
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Renis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavone
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maci
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perciavalle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D020552:Comet Assay / Q000379:methods; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018755:GABA Agonists / Q000633:toxicity*; D016678:Genome; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009557:Nipecotic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D000078308:Tiagabine
chemical_list: D018755:GABA Agonists; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009557:Nipecotic Acids; D000078308:Tiagabine