Sodium, calcium and late potassium currents are reduced in cerebellar granule cells cultured in the presence of a protein complex conferring resistance to excitatory amino acids

Increased propensity for calcium phosphate kidney stones with topiramate use

Topiramate (TPM) is a neuromodulatory agent that was initially approved as an antiepileptic drug and is increasingly used in the treatment of a number of neurological and metabolic disorders. Among its various pharmacological actions, TPM has been shown to inhibit the activity of specific carbonic anhydrase enzymes in the kidney. This action is associated with the development of metabolic acidosis, hypocitraturia, hypercalciuria and elevated urine pH, leading to an increased risk of kidney stone disease. Despite the cautionary note in the package insert of TPM, the extent of these complications has not been fully explored. Few prescribing physicians are aware of these complications, underscoring the need for improved surveillance. Because the drug is among the most frequently prescribed agents in the US, more controlled studies are required to determine the prevalence of kidney stone disease among TPM users, and the optimal approach to prevent and treat nephrolithiasis in these individuals.

Substance P provides neuroprotection in cerebellar granule cells through Akt and MAPK/Erk activation: Evidence for the involvement of the delayed rectifier potassium current

In the current study, we have evaluated the ability of substance P (SP) and other neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1) agonists to protect, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) from serum and potassium deprivation-induced cell death (S-K5). We also established the presence of SP high affinity NK1 transcripts and the NK1 protein localization in the membrane of a sub-population of CGCs. Moreover, SP significantly and dose-dependently reduced the Akt 1/2 and Erk1/2 dephosphorylation induced by S-K5 conditions, as demonstrated by Western blot analysis. Surprisingly, in SP-treated CGCs caspase-3 activity was not inhibited, while the calpain-1 activity was moderately reduced. Corroborating this result, SP blocked calpain-mediated cleavage of tau protein, as demonstrated by the reduced appearance of a diagnostic fragment of 17 kDa by Western blot analysis. In addition, SP induced a significant reduction of the delayed rectifier K+ currents (Ik) in about 42% of the patched neurons, when these were evoked with depolarizing potential steps. Taken together, the present results demonstrate that the activation of NK1 receptors expressed in CGCs promote the neuronal survival via pathways involving Akt and Erk activation and by inhibition of Ik which can contribute to the neuroprotective effect of the peptide.

Exposure to 50 Hz electromagnetic radiation promote early maturation and differentiation in newborn rat cerebellar granule neurons

The wish of this work is the study of the effect of electromagnetic (EMF) radiations at a frequency of 50 Hz on the development of cerebellar granule neurons (CGN). Granule neurons, prepared from newborn rat cerebellum (8 days after birth), were cultured after plate-seeding in the presence of EMF radiations, with the plan of characterizing their cellular and molecular biochemistry, after exposure to the electromagnetic stimulus. Five days challenge to EMF radiations showed, by the cytotoxic glutamate (Glu) pulse test, a 30% decrease of cells survival, while only 5% of mortality was reported for unexposed sample. Moreover, blocking the glutamate receptor (GluR) with the Glu competitor MK-801, no toxicity effect after CGN challenge to EMF radiations and Glu was detected. By patch-clamp recording technique, the Kainate-induced currents from 6 days old exposed CGN exhibited a significant increase with respect to control cells. Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses show that EMF exposure of rats CGN, induces a change in both GluRs proteins and mRNAs expression with respect to control. In addition, the use of monoclonal antibody raised against neurofilament protein (NF-200) reveals an increase in NF-200 synthesis in the exposed CGN. All these results indicate that exposure to non-ionizing radiations contribute to a premature expression of GluRs reducing the life span of CGN, leading to a more rapid cell maturation.

NMDA receptor modulation by a conditioned medium derived from rat cerebellar granule cells

Our previous studies have shown that the response to the excitotoxic action of glutamate by cultured cerebellar granule cells depends upon the cell density or the volume of medium in which they have been grown: the higher the cell density or the lower the volume, the higher the response to glutamate. We have hypothesized that this variable response is due to the formation in culture of a glutamate-sensitizing activity GSA more abundantly in conditioned medium derived from high-density or low-volume cultures than that present in low-density or high volume cultures and capable of restoring sensitivity in previously resistant granule cells. In order to elucidate the mechanism of action of glutamate-sensitizing activity, we measured the extent and function of NMDA receptors in low- and high-volume cultures and assessed the effect of glutamate-sensitizing activity on the same receptors. We found that under high-volume conditions the extent of MK-801 binding, the amount of NMDA receptor type 1, the currents evoked in whole cells after an NMDA pulse and the response of cultured cells to this ligand were markedly reduced compared with low-volume cultures. Addition of glutamate-sensitizing activity to high-volume cultures increased their glutamate sensitivity, the NMDA-evoked currents, the extent of MK-801 binding and the amount of NMDA receptor type 1 protein present. The corresponding mRNA transcripts, on the contrary, were unchanged in high-volume, low-volume and high-volume GSA-treated cultures.

Topiramate attenuates voltage-gated sodium currents in rat cerebellar granule cells

Whole-cell, voltage-clamp recordings were made from rat cerebellar granule cells in culture under experimental conditions designed to study voltage-gated Na+ currents that were elicited by depolarizing commands from a holding potential of -60 mV up to +20 mV. These tetrodotoxin-sensitive inward currents were reduced in a dose-related manner by bath application of the structurally novel, anticonvulsant drug topiramate (10-1000 microM; n = 16). Dose-response analysis of this effect revealed an IC50 of 48.9 microM. Topiramate also made the steady-state inactivation curve of this current shift toward more negative values (midpoint of the inactivation curve -46.9 mV under control conditions and -56.5 mV during topiramate application; n = 5). We propose that these effects may contribute to control the sustained depolarizations with repetitive firing of action potentials that occur within neuronal networks during seizure activity. Therefore they may represent a mechanism of action for this novel anticonvulsant drug.

Lamotrigine reduces voltage-gated sodium currents in rat central neurons in culture

PURPOSE

To study the mechanism or mechanisms of action of lamotrigine (LTG) and, in particular, to establish its effects on the function of NA+ channels in mammalian central neurons.

METHODS

Rat cerebellar granule cells in culture were subjected to the whole-cell mode of voltage clamping under experimental conditions designed to study voltage-gated Na+ currents.

RESULTS

Extracellular application of LTG (10-500 microM, n = 21) decreased in a dose-related manner a tetrodotoxin-sensitive inward current that was elicited by depolarizing commands (from -80 to +20 mV). The peak amplitude of this Na(+)-mediated current was diminished by 38.8 +/- 12.2% (mean +/- SD, n = 6) during application of 100 microM LTG, and the dose-response curve of this effect indicated an IC50 of 145 microM. The reduction in the inward currents produced by LTG was not associate with any significant change in the current decay, whereas the voltage dependency of the steady-state inactivation shifted toward more negative values (midpoint of the inactivation curve: -47.5 and -59.0 mV under control conditions and during application of 100 microM LTG, respectively, n = 4).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that LTG reduces the amplitude of voltage-gated Na+ inward current in rat cerebellar granule cells and induces a negative shift of the steady-state inactivation curve. Both mechanisms may be instrumental in controlling the repetitive firing of action potentials (AP) that occurs in neuronal networks during seizure activity.

A glutamate-sensitizing activity in conditioned media derived from rat cerebellar granule cells

When cerebellar granule cells that had been cultured in vitro for 8 days were subjected to a cytotoxic glutamate pulse (100 microM, 30 min incubation), the response varied according to cell density and the volume of medium in which cells were grown. Thus, lowering the cell density by a factor of 4 compared with usual conditions (2.6 x 10(5) cells/cm2) or increasing the volume by an identical 4-fold factor reduced cell death from 90-95% to 20-30%. Addition of a conditioned medium derived from high-density to low-density cultures or to high-volume cultures markedly increased the sensitivity of the cells to glutamate. This glutamate-sensitizing activity, which accelerated by several days the onset of the response of cerebellar cultures to glutamate, was inhibited by actinomycin D and was not detectable in conditioned medium derived from confluent cultures of cerebellar astroglia, or from cell lines such as PC12, GT1-7, 3T3 and CHP 100. Glutamate-sensitizing activity was not mimicked by trilodo-L-thyronine, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), truncated IGF-I, GPE [a tripeptide (gly-pro-glu) derived from IGF-I], brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), basic fibroblast growth factor or tumour necrosis factor-alpha. However, IGF-I added to cultures of granule cells plated at high density and grown in basal medium Eagle's without serum or any other constituent of chemically defined media was capable of supporting production of glutamate-sensitizing activity to an extent similar to that shown by whole fetal calf serum. Under the same conditions triiodo-L-thyronine and BDNF did not support the production of glutamate-sensitizing activity. Glutamate-sensitizing activity was not mimicked by glutamate, NMDA, glycine or lactate, and was not inhibited by glucose, haemoglobin or N-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. At variance with the response of granule cells, the response to glutamate of GABAergic cells present in the same culture was not affected by cell density or by glutamate-sensitizing activity.

Removal of serum from primary cultures of cerebellar granule neurons induces oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation: protection with antioxidants and glutamate receptor antagonists

Cerebellar granule neurons undergo apoptosis when deprived of chronic depolarization; serum deprivation has not been considered as a trigger of apoptosis in this culture. Here we report that serum removal triggers cell injury, which is characterized by signs of apoptosis. Actual cell death (trypan blue permeability) occurred 24 and 48 hr after serum removal. At earlier times (6 and 8 hr after serum removal) we found significant impairment of mitochondrial functioning [3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay] and an increase in the percentage of neurons showing signs of DNA fragmentation (insitu terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase assay, fluorescent assay). Protection was obtained by inhibiting RNA synthesis with actinomycin D and by antioxidants [1mM: 1,4-diazobicyclo(2.2.2)octane, histidine, mannitol; 1% dimethyl sulfoxide; 0.01-1 microM ascorbic acid]. We also measured neuronal oxidation utilizing the oxidation-sensitive fluorescent dye 2', 7'-dichloro- fluorescin diacetate, and found a significant increase in the rate of neuronal oxidation as early as 15 min after serum deprivation. The blockade of glutamate receptors by (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydroxy-5H-dibenzo(a,d)cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione also provided neuroprotection. However, oxidative stress appears to precede glutamate receptor activation: within the 8 hr period of serum deprivation, mannitol was protective when present either during only the first or last 4 hr; MK-801 was protective only when present for the entire 8 hr period or in the last, but not first 4 hr of serum deprivation. Serum deprivation of mature cerebellar granule neurons can be used to study mechanisms of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

Human recombinant IGF-I induces the functional expression of AMPA/kainate receptors in cerebellar granule cells

We have previously reported that an excitatory amino acid resistant phenotype (EAA-) of rat cerebellar granule cells becomes EAA sensitive (EAA+) when cultured in the presence of human recombinant IGF-I. In order to assess the mechanism through which this somatomedin upmodulates the functional expression of EAAs receptors, we have performed studies using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique to study macroscopic currents evoked by the application in the bath of kainate to (EAA-) and (EAA+) neurons, and compared their properties to sister cultures grown in classical conditions employing whole foetal calf serum (FCS). Kainate elicited macroscopic, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione sensitive, inward currents at a holding potential of -60 mV in almost all the patched cells but the mean amplitude of the current was consistently smaller in (EAA-) neurons compared to (EAA+) neurons although the amplitude was still smaller than that observed in FCS-cultured neurons. The amplitude of the responses induced by kainate was a linear function of the membrane potential in the three groups of cells and the reversal potential of the currents was about 0 mV, suggesting that the general property of each channel is identical in all three types of neurons while the different conductances observed are due either to a decreased expression, a different permeability or an altered affinity of the single receptor.