[Apoptosis of cultured cortical neurons of rat's brain induced by heroin].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether heroin can directly induce apoptosis in primary cultured cortical neurons of rat's brain.


METHODS
Cultured primary neurons cultures were obtained from cerebral cortex of embryo rats. After 7 days, the cells were incubated with different concentrations of heroin (purity-80%) for 24 hours. The neuronal survival was assessed by cell viability counting with fluorescent diacetate (FDA) staining. The morphological and biochemical changes were observed with Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining and then analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis, respectively.


RESULTS
After treatment with different concentrations of heroin, the neurons showed a decreased survival rate in a dose dependent manner, and there was a significant difference in the survival rate between the heroin group and the control group (P < 0.05). When exposed to different concentrations of heroin, neurons exhibited the morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis, including cell shrinkage, neurite degeneration, network disappearance, condensation and aggregation of nuclear chromatin, and the formation of DNA ladders. With the increase of heroin concentration of rat's brain more apoptotic bodies were seen.


CONCLUSIONS
Heroin can directly induce apoptosis in primary cultured cortical neurons in rat's brain.
Liu
Xiao-shan
XS
Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Preclinical School of SUN Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. lxsa200@yahoo.com.cn
Zang
Lin-quan
LQ
Hao
Zi-rui
ZR
Li
Zhao-hui
ZH
Liu
Shui-ping
SP
Chen
Yu-chuan
YC
Qu
Jing-dong
JD
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D003932:Heroin