Chronic exposure to 2,5-hexanedione impairs the glutamate-nitric oxide-cyclic GMP pathway in cerebellar neurons in culture and in rat brain in vivo

2,5-Hexanedione is a neurotoxic metabolite of hexane. The mechanisms of its neurotoxicity remain unclear. We assessed whether chronic exposure to 2,5-hexanedione affects the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway in primary cultures of cerebellar neurons and/or in the cerebellum of rats. Chronic exposure of cultured cerebellar neurons to 2,5-hexanedione (200 muM) reduced by approximate to50% NMDA-induced formation of cGMP. Activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by nitric oxide was reduced by 46%. This treatment reduced the content of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylate cyclase in neurons by 23 and 20%, respectively. In the cerebellum of rats chronically exposed to 2,5-hexanedione (in the drinking water) NMDA-induced formation of cGMP was reduced by 55% as determined by in vivo brain microdialysis. Activation of soluble guanylate cyclase by nitric oxide was reduced by 65%. The content of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and of soluble guanylate cyclase was reduced by 25 and 21%, respectively, in the cerebellum of these rats. The effects are the same in both systems, indicating that cultured neurons are a good model to study the mechanisms of neurotoxicity of 2,5-hexanedione. These results indicate that chronic exposure to 2,5-hexanedione affects the glutamate-nitric: oxide-cGMP pathway at different steps both in cultured neurons and in cerebellum of the animal in vivo. The alteration of this pathway may contribute to the neurotoxic effects of 2,5-hexanedione. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.