title: Upregulation of cerebral cortical glutathione synthesis by ammonia in vivo and in cultured glial cells: the role of cystine uptake.
abstract: Glutathione (GSH) is a major antioxidant in the brain and ammonia neurotoxicity is associated with oxidative stress. In this study, we show that intracerebral administration of ammonium chloride ("ammonia", final concentration 5mM) via a microdialysis probe, increases by 80% the glutathione content in cerebral cortical microdialysates, and tends to increase its content in striatal microdialysates. Treatment with ammonia in vitro dose-dependently increased the glutathione content in cultured cerebral cortical astrocytes and a C6 glioma cell line. Significant effects have been observed after 1h (astrocytes) or 3h (C6 cells) of exposure and were sustained up to 72 h of incubation. A gradual decrease of the GSH/GSSG ratio noted during 3 h (astrocytes) or 24 h (C6 cells) of exposure, was followed by an partial recovery after 24 h of incubation, the latter phase possibly reflecting increased availability of de novo synthesized glutathione. In our hands, cystine, the precursor for astrocytic glutathione synthesis, was transported to astrocytes almost exclusively by system X(AG)-, while in C6 cells the transport engaged both system x(c)- (approximately 60% of uptake) and X(AG)- (approximately 40% of uptake). Ammonia in either cell type stimulated cystine uptake without changing the relative contribution of the uptake systems. The results are consistent with the concept of increased astrocytic glutathione synthesis as an adaptive response of the brain to ammonia challenge, and emphasize upregulation of cystine uptake as a factor contributing to this response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurotoxicology, Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Pawińskiego St. 5, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wegrzynowicz
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hilgier
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dybel
authors.forename: Simo S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Oja
authors.forename: Pirjo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saransaari
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albrecht
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001692:Biological Transport; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003553:Cystine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005910:Glioma; D005978:Glutathione / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D003553:Cystine; D003994:Bucladesine; D000641:Ammonia; D005978:Glutathione