title: 3-Nitropropionic acid neurotoxicity in hippocampal slice cultures: developmental and regional vulnerability and dependency on glucose.
abstract: We investigated whether neurotoxic effects of the mitochondrial toxin 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) in hippocampal slice cultures are dependent on glucose levels in the culture medium and whether such effects occur via apoptosis or necrosis. In addition, 3-NP toxicity was investigated at two developmental stages of the cultures, prepared from rat brain at postnatal day 5-7 and grown in Neurobasal medium for 1 or 3 weeks. Cultures were exposed to 3-NP in the presence of high (25 mM), normal (5 mM), or low (3 mM) glucose for 48 h, followed by 48 h incubation in medium without 3-NP. Cellular propidium iodide (PI) uptake and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) efflux into the medium revealed time- and dose-dependent cell death by 3-NP, with EC(50) values of about 60 microM in high or normal glucose. Regional vulnerability, as assessed by PI uptake and MAP2 immunostaining, in 3-week-old cultures was as follows: CA1 > CA3 > fascia dentata. In low glucose much lower concentrations of 3-NP (25 microM) triggered neurotoxicity. One-week-old cultures were less susceptible to 3-NP toxicity than 3-week-old cultures, but the dentate granule cells were relatively more affected in the immature cultures. We found no evidence for apoptotic cell death by 3-NP in 3-week-old cultures, but in 1-week-old cultures the putative apoptotic marker c-JUN/AP1 and nuclear fragmentation (Hoechst) were significantly increased in the dentate granule cells.
authors.affiliation: Anatomy and Neurobiology, SDU-Odense University, Denmark
authors.forename: Helle
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noer
authors.forename: Bjarne W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kristensen
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Noraberg
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: Jan Bert
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Gramsbergen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D011419:Propidium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D011422:Propionates / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009574:Nitro Compounds; D011422:Propionates; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; D011419:Propidium; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005947:Glucose; C015392:3-nitropropionic acid