title: Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated protection against ethanol-induced neurotoxicity.
abstract: The alpha(7)-selective nicotinic partial agonist 3-[2,4-dimethoxybenzylidene]anabaseine (DMXB) was examined for its ability to modulate ethanol-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat neurons. Primary cultures of hippocampal neurons were established from Long-Evans, embryonic day (E)-18 rat fetuses and maintained for 7 days. Ethanol (0-150 mM), DMXB (0-56 microM), or both were subsequently co-applied to cultures. Ethanol was added two additional times to the cultures to compensate for evaporation. After 5 days, neuronal viability was assessed with the MTT cell proliferation assay. Results demonstrated that ethanol reduces neuronal viability in a concentration-dependent fashion and that DMXB protects against this ethanol-induced neurotoxicity, also in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results support the suggestion that nicotinic partial agonists may be useful in treating binge drinking-induced neurotoxicity and may provide clues as to why heavy drinkers are usually smokers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA. cdefiebr@hsc.unt.edu
authors.forename: NancyEllen C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: de Fiebre
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: de Fiebre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001597:Benzylidene Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000502:physiology*; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: D001597:Benzylidene Compounds; C579165:Chrna7 protein, rat; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011725:Pyridines; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; D000431:Ethanol; C088936:3-(2,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)anabaseine