REGULATORY VOLUME DECREASE IN PRIMARY ASTROCYTE CULTURES - RELEVANCE TO METHYLMERCURY NEUROTOXICITY

Because of the multiple and varied roles of astrocytes in brain homeos tasis, primary cultures of astrocytes from neonatal rat brains have pr oven to be an excellent model for the study of in vitro cell functions and control mechanisms. In addition, their ability to preferentially sequester a number of heavy metals, such as methylmercury, has lead to intense research on their potential to modulate heavy metal-induced d ysfunction. In the present review we briefly discuss the mechanisms as sociated with astrocytic swelling, an early and prominent event in bra in injury, followed by a description on cellular mechanisms associated with regulatory volume decrease (RVD) processes, and specifically tho se likely to represent sensitive sites for MeHg-induced cytotoxicity. (C) 1996 Intox Press, Inc.