Chemotherapy-induced cell death in primary cerebellar granule neurons but not in astrocytes: in vitro paradigm of differential neurotoxicity

J Neurochem. 2004 Dec;91(5):1067-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2004.02774.x.

Abstract

The nervous system is frequently the site of symptomatic toxicity of antineoplastic agents. However, there is limited information about the differential vulnerability of neurons, astrocytes and glioma cells. We have analyzed the effects of four chemotherapeutic drugs (lomustine, cisplatin, topotecan and vincristine) on primary cerebellar granule neurons and astrocytes derived from rats. All drugs led to cell death in cerebellar granule neurons in a concentration-dependent manner. Comparison of the EC50 values for cerebellar neurons and astrocytes with the median EC50 values of 12 malignant glioma cell lines demonstrated a large therapeutic range for lomustin and cisplatin. Further, this comparison revealed a 100-fold higher sensitivity of cerebellar neurons towards vincristine and 10-fold higher sensitivity towards topotecan compared with glioma cells. Astrocytes were generally resistant to vincristine. In cerebellar granule neurons, vincristine and to a lesser extent topotecan induced caspase 3 and caspase 9 cleavage, and enhanced caspase activity and Akt-dependent expression of phosphorylated BAD. zVAD-fmk, a caspase inhibitor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but not MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, significantly reduced vincristine- or topotecan-induced cell death.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / genetics
  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1 / metabolism
  • Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / administration & dosage
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Astrocytes / drug effects
  • Astrocytes / pathology
  • Blotting, Western / methods
  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / administration & dosage
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspase 9
  • Caspases / metabolism
  • Cell Death / drug effects*
  • Cell Size / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cerebellum / pathology*
  • Chemokines, CC / genetics
  • Chemokines, CC / metabolism
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Interactions
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
  • Glioma
  • Necrosis / chemically induced
  • Necrosis / prevention & control
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / pathology*
  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense / therapeutic use
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Transfection / methods
  • bcl-Associated Death Protein
  • bcl-X Protein

Substances

  • ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1
  • Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Bad protein, rat
  • Bcl2l1 protein, rat
  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Chemokines, CC
  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • RNA, Messenger
  • bcl-Associated Death Protein
  • bcl-X Protein
  • benzyloxycarbonylvalyl-alanyl-aspartyl fluoromethyl ketone
  • Ccl6 protein, mouse
  • Akt1 protein, rat
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Casp3 protein, mouse
  • Casp3 protein, rat
  • Casp9 protein, mouse
  • Casp9 protein, rat
  • Caspase 3
  • Caspase 9
  • Caspases