PROLIFERATION-DEPENDENT VULNERABILITY OF GLUCOSE-DEPRIVED ASTROCYTES TO NITRIC OXIDE-INDUCED CYTOTOXICITY

The present study investigated the vulnerability of glucose-deprived a strocytes to nitric oxide (NO)-induced cytotoxicity. Primary murine co rtical astrocyte cultures of different ages were deprived of glucose i n the presence of the NO-releasing reagent 3-morpholinosydnonimine. Gl ucose-deprived astrocytes displayed an age-dependent vulnerability to NO cytotoxicity. However, this difference in vulnerability with age wa s found to be dependent on initial plating density. The augmented deat hs of astrocyte cultures were consistent with the [H-3]thymidine incor poration pattern. Thus, rapidly dividing astrocytes were much more sus ceptible to NO cytotoxicity under glucose-deprived conditions. The dat a indicate that the vulnerability of glucose-deprived astrocytes to NO cytotoxicity depends on the proliferative state rather than age in vi tro. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.