CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS OF ASTROCYTES IN CULTURE FOLLOWING ETHANOL EXPOSURE

The nervous system is one of the main targets of ethanol toxicity and it has been suggested that astrocytes might play an important role as their integrity is essential for the normal growth and functioning of neurons. Morphological variations of astrocyte cultures were therefore examined after exposure to various doses of ethanol (0.5, i and 2%) f or different durations (24, 48, 72 and 96 h). The percentage of cell v iability and the cell density were calculated and the changes in astro cyte morphology were assessed by an image an a lysis system (Samba(TM) 2005) allowing the characterization of 5 parameters (perimeter, surfa ce, elongation factor, convexity factor and the form factor) of a grea t number of cells (over 6500). This was necessary because of the high variability in normal cultured astrocyte morph-ology. A two-way statis tical approach (2-factors ANOVA completed by stepwise discriminant ana lysis) was adopted to emphasize the differences between control and ex posed cells. In such conditions, ethanol treated cells became more elo ngated, less circular and more con ca ve a nd did not grow like non-ex posed cells. The mean pooled values of these parameters tended to be m odified as a function of the dose of ethanol. The relationships betwee n parameters clearly separated the groups as a function of the differe nt doses. Finally no significant difference was observed in cell viabi lity and cell density despite lower scores in the groups exposed to th e highest dose of ethanol for the longest time. Our results suggest th at ethanol might affect astrocytes in two different but probably compl ementary ways by modifying the cell shape and by altering normal cell development. (C) 1996 Inter Press, Inc.