Brain ischemia increases the synaptic glutamate concentration by inducing functional deficit of glutamate transporters, and the increase of glutamate produces excitotoxic neuronal death. L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4- dicarboxylate (L-PDC), a glutamate tran...
Brain ischemia increases the synaptic glutamate concentration by inducing functional deficit of glutamate transporters, and the increase of glutamate produces excitotoxic neuronal death. L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4- dicarboxylate (L-PDC), a glutamate transporter inhibitor, could induce excitotoxic neuronal death in cultured neurons. It has been well-known that the activation of Gi/o-linked receptor attenuates the release of neurotransmitters. To establish the in vitro model for screening neuroprotective agents, the effects of some Gi/o-linked receptor agonists on the neuronal death induced by 200 μM L-trans-2,4-PDC were examined in mixed cortical cultures. The cortical cultures at 13-14 days in vitro were used. Cell death was assessed by measurement of lactate dehydrogenase efflux to bathing media at the end of 24 hr exposure.
The neuronal death induced by the L-PDC was significantly attenuated by treatment with NMDA receptor antagonists. The treatment with L-PDC for 1-2 hrs produced about 8-fold increase of glutamate concentration in culture media. Pre-treatment with clonidine (1-30 μM), an α2 adrenoceptor agonist, attenuated the L-PDC-induced neuronal death concentration-dependently. The inhibitory action of 10 μM clonidine was reversed not only by treatment with 10 μM yohimbine or 10 μM rauwolscine, α2 adrenoceptor antagonist, but also by pre-treatment with pertussis toxin (PTX, 10 ng/ml), a Gi/o protein inhibitor. Guanabenz (1-10 μM), another α2-adrenoceptor agonist, inhibited the neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner and the inhibitory action of 10 μM guanabenz was reversed by yohimbine or PTX. Bromocriptine (1-10 μM), dopamine D₂ receptor agonist, inhibited the neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner and the inhibitory action of 10 μM bromocriptine was reversed by 20 μM sulpiride, a dopamine D₂ receptor antagonist, or PTX. Methacholine (3-30 μM), a muscarinic receptor agonist, inhibited the neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner and the inhibitory action of 10 μM muscarine was reversed by 10 μM atropine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist, or PTX. Baclofen (5-20 μM), a GABA_(B) receptor agonist, inhibited the neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner and the inhibitory action of 10 μM baclofen was reversed by 200 μM 2-hydroxysaclofen, a GABA_(B) receptor antagonist, or PTX. U50488 (0.1-1 μM), a κ opioid receptor agonist, inhibited the neuronal death in a concentration-dependent manner and the inhibitory action of 1 μM U50488 was reversed by 10 μM naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist, or PTX. Pretreatment with clonidine (10 μM), guanabenz (10 μM), bromocriptine (10 μM), methacholine (10 μM), baclofen (10 μM) or U50488 (1 μM) significantly attenuated the L-PDC-induced increase of glutamate concentration in culture media.
These results demonstrated that the activation of Gi/o-linked receptor could inhibit the L-PDC-induced neuronal death by inhibiting glutamate release in cultured neurons, and suggested that the neuronal death by L-PDC in cultured neuron might be useful in vitro model system for screening neuroprotective agents.