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Ethanol Alters Glutamate but Not Adenosine Uptake in Rat Astrocytes: Evidence for Protein Kinase C Involvement

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Abstract

Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in brain. By stimulating neuronal activity, glutamate increases cellular energy utilization, enhances ATP hydrolysis and promotes the formation of adenosine. Adenosine has receptor-mediated effects that reduce or oppose the excitatory effects of glutamate. As a possible mechanism for ethanol's ability to inhibit excitatory effects of glutamate and enhance inhibitory effects of adenosine, we tested the hypothesis that ethanol promotes [3H]glutamate uptake and inhibits [3H]adenosine uptake. Using primary cultures of rat astrocytes, we found that acute treatment with ethanol (50 mM, 30 min) inhibited [3H]glutamate uptake and reduced protein kinase C (PKC)-induced stimulation of [3H]glutamate uptake. Prolonged treatment (50 mM, 3 day) with ethanol, however, increased both [3H]glutamate uptake and PKC activity. Contrary to other cell types, neither acute or chronic ethanol exposure affected [3H]adenosine uptake in astrocytes. These data indicate that in rat cortical astrocytes ethanol affects [3H]glutamate uptake but not [3H]adenosine uptake by affecting PKC modulation of transporter activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, 753 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, Canada, R3E OT6

    Timothy Othman, Christopher J. D. Sinclair, Norman Haughey, Jonathan D. Geiger & Fiona E. Parkinson

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  1. Timothy Othman
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  2. Christopher J. D. Sinclair
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  3. Norman Haughey
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  4. Jonathan D. Geiger
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  5. Fiona E. Parkinson
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Othman, T., Sinclair, C.J.D., Haughey, N. et al. Ethanol Alters Glutamate but Not Adenosine Uptake in Rat Astrocytes: Evidence for Protein Kinase C Involvement. Neurochem Res 27, 289–296 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014955111742

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