F. Staub et al., SWELLING, ACIDOSIS, AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE OF GLIAL-CELLS FROM EXPOSURE TO ARACHIDONIC-ACID IN-VITRO, Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism, 14(6), 1994, pp. 1030-1039
Swelling and damage of C6 glioma cells and of primary cultured astrocy
tes were analyzed in vitro during incubation with arachidonic acid (AA
; 20:4). The cells were suspended in a physiological medium supplement
ed with AA at concentrations of 0.001-1.0 mM. Cell swelling was quanti
fied by flow cytometry with hydrodynamic focusing. Flow cytometry was
also utilized for assessment of cell viability by exclusion of the flu
orescent dye propidium iodide and for measurement of the intracellular
pH (pH(i)) by 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5(and -6)carboxyfluorescein.
Administration of AA caused an immediate dose-dependent swelling of C
6 glioma cells, even at a concentration of 0.01 mM. At this level cell
volume increased within 20 min to 105.0% of control, at 0.1 mM to 111
.0%, while at 1.0 mM to 123.7%. Following a phase of rapid cell volume
increase, swelling leveled off during the subsequent observation peri
od of 70 min. Viability of the C6 glioma cells was 90% under control c
onditions. It remained unchanged after raising AA concentrations to 0.
1 mM. At 0.5 mM, however, cell viability fell to 72.8%, and at 1.0 mM
to 32.7%. pH(i) of the glioma cells was 7.3 under control conditions.
In parallel with the early swelling phase, AA led to a dose-dependent
decrease of the intracellular pH and an elevated lactate production of
the cells. During incubation with 0.1 mM AA, pH(i) decreased In addit
ion, swelling-inducing properties of linoleic (18:2) or stearic (18:0)
acid were analyzed for evaluation of the specificity of glial swellin
g induced by AA. Whereas stearic acid (0.1 mM) failed to induce a swel
ling response, linoleic acid (0.1 mM) was found to be effective. The v
olume increase of the glial cells, however, was only half of that foun
d during exposure to AA at the same concentration. Further, glial swel
ling from AA or linoleic acid was completely inhibited by the aminoste
roid U-74389F, an antagonist of lipid peroxidation. Finally, omission
of Na+ ions in the suspension medium with replacement by choline led a
lso to inhibition of the cell volume increase by AA. Experiments using
astrocytes from primary culture confirmed the swelling-inducing prope
rties of AA at a quantitative level, whereas vulnerability of the cell
s to AA was increased. The present results demonstrate an important ro
le of AA in cytotoxic swelling and irreversible damage of glial cells
at concentrations that occur in vivo in cerebral ischemia or trauma. T
he damaging potential of AA might be enhanced by a concurrently evolvi
ng intracellular acidosis, stimulating the formation of oxygen-derived
free radicals and lipid peroxidation.