title: Excitotoxic neuronal injury in chronic homocysteine neurotoxicity studied in vitro: the role of NMDA and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors.
abstract: Elevated homocysteine is a risk factor in cardiovascular diseases and neurodegeneration. Among the putative mechanisms of homocysteine-evoked neurotoxicity, disturbances in methylation processes and NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity have been suggested. Our previous studies demonstrated that group I metabotropic glutamate receptors along with NMDA receptors participate in acute homocysteine-induced neuronal damage. In this study, using propidium iodide staining, we tested whether the same mechanism may mediate chronic homocysteine neurotoxicity. Our results confirmed that the application of D,L-homocysteine in micromolar concentrations for 3 days induces neurodegeneration in primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons. Uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801, and mGlul or mGlu5 receptor antagonists (LY367385 and MPEP, respectively), given alone provided very limited neuroprotection. However, simultaneous application of the NMDA receptor antagonists MK-801, memantine or amantadine and MPEP almost completely prevented chronic homocysteine neurotoxicity. These findings suggest a novel therapeutic strategy to combat neurodegeneration induced by hyperhomocysteinemia comprising a combination of antagonists of group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors and NMDA receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry, Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Street, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zieminska
authors.forename: Jerzy W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lazarewicz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006711:Homocystine / Q000633:toxicity*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D009498:Neurotoxins; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D006711:Homocystine