Vascular factors in the neurotoxic damage caused by 1,3-dinitrobenzene in the rat

1,3-dinitrobenzene induces age- and region-specific oxidation to mitochondria-related proteins in brain

Regions of the brain with high energy requirements are especially sensitive to perturbations in mitochondrial function. Hence, neurotoxicant exposures that target mitochondria in regions of high energy demand have the potential to accelerate mitochondrial damage inherently occurring during the aging process. 1,3-Dinitrobenzene (DNB) is a model neurotoxicant that selectively targets mitochondria in brainstem nuclei innervated by the eighth cranial nerve. This study investigates the role of age in the regional susceptibility of brain mitochondria-related proteins (MRPs) to oxidation following exposure to DNB. Male F344 rats (1 month old [young], 3 months old [adult], 18 months old [aged]) were exposed to 10 mg/kg DNB prior to mitochondrial isolation and histopathology experiments. Using a high-throughput proteomic approach, 3 important region- and age-related increases in DNB-induced MRP oxidation were determined: (1) brainstem mitochondria are ×3 more sensitive to DNB-induced oxidation than cortical mitochondria; (2) oxidation of brainstem MRPs is significantly higher than in cortical counterparts; and (3) MRPs from the brainstems of older rats are significantly more oxidized than those from young or adult rats. Furthermore, lower levels of DNB cause signs of intoxication (ataxia, chromodacryorrhea) and vacuolation of the susceptible neuropil in aged animals, while neither is observed in DNB-exposed young rats. Additionally, methemoglobin levels increase significantly in DNB-exposed adult and aged animals, but not young DNB-exposed animals. This suggests that oxidation of key MRPs observed in brainstem of aged animals is necessary for DNB-induced signs of intoxication and lesion formation. These results provide compelling evidence that environmental chemicals such as DNB may aid in the acceleration of injury to specific brain regions by inducing oxidation of sensitive mitochondrial proteins.

The mechanisms of neurotoxicity and the selective vulnerability of nervous system sites

The spatial heterogeneity of the structure, function, and cellular composition of the nervous system confers extraordinary complexity and a multiplicity of mechanisms of chemical neurotoxicity. Because of its relatively high metabolic demands and functional dependence on postmitotic neurons, the nervous system is vulnerable to a variety of xenobiotics that affect essential homeostatic mechanisms that support function. Despite protection from the neuroglia and blood-brain barrier, the central nervous system is prone to attack from lipophilic toxicants and those that hijack endogenous transport, receptor, metabolic, and other biochemical systems. The inherent predilection of chemicals for highly conserved biochemical systems confers selective vulnerability of the nervous system to neurotoxicants. This chapter discusses selective vulnerability of the nervous system in the context of neuron-specific decrements (axonopathy, myelinopathy, disruption of neurotransmission), and the degree to which neuronal damage is facilitated or ameliorated by surrounding nonneural cells in both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

1,3-Dinitrobenzene-induced metabolic impairment through selective inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Prolonged exposure to the chemical intermediate, 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB), produces neuropathology in the central nervous system of rodents analogous to that observed in various conditions of acute energy deprivation including thiamine deficiency and Leigh's necrotizing encephalopathy. Increased production of reactive intermediates in addition to induction of oxidative stress has been implicated in the neurotoxic mechanism of 1,3-DNB, but a clear metabolic target has not been determined. Here we propose that similar to thiamine deficiency, the effects of 1,3-DNB on metabolic status may be due to inhibition of the thiamine-dependent α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complexes. The effects of 1,3-DNB on astroglial metabolic status and α-ketoacid dehydrogenase activity were evaluated using rat C6 glioma cells. Exposure to 1,3-DNB resulted in altered morphology and biochemical dysfunction consistent with disruption of oxidative energy metabolism. Cotreatment with acetyl-carnitine or acetoacetate attenuated morphological and metabolic effects of 1,3-DNB exposure as well as increased cell viability. 1,3-DNB exposure inhibited pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc) and the inhibition correlated with the loss of lipoic acid (LA) immunoreactivity, suggesting that modification of LA is a potential mechanism of inhibition. Treatment with antioxidants and thiol-containing compounds failed to protect against loss of LA. Alternatively, inhibition of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, the E3 component of the complex attenuated loss of LA. Collectively, these data suggest that 1,3-DNB impairs oxidative energy metabolism through direct inhibition of the PDHc and that this impairment is due to perturbations in the function of protein-bound LA.

IgG entry and deposition are components of the neuroimmune response in Batten disease

Patients and a mouse model of Batten disease, the juvenile form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL), raise autoantibodies against GAD65 and other brain-directed antigens. Here we investigate the adaptive component of the neuroimmune response. Cln3(-/-) mice have autoantibodies to GAD65 in their cerebrospinal fluid and elevated levels of brain bound immunoglobulin G (IgG). IgG deposition was found within human JNCL autopsy material, a feature that became more evident with increased age in Cln3(-/-) mice. The lymphocyte infiltration present in human and murine JNCL occurred late in disease progression, and was not capable of central/intrathecal IgG production. In contrast, we found evidence for an early systemic immune dysregulation in Cln3(-/-) mice. In addition evidence for a size-selective breach in the blood-brain barrier integrity in these mice suggests that systemically produced autoantibodies can access the JNCL central nervous system and contribute to a progressive inflammatory response.

Neurochemical and oedematous changes in 1,3-dinitrobenzene-induced astroglial injury in rat brain from a 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance perspective

1,3-Dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB), an intermediate used in the chemical industry, has toxic effects in the brain and testes. It produces focal lesions with marked astroglial necrosis in the rat brain upon repeated administration. Astrocytic death occurs in parallel with elevated local blood flow and is followed by damage to the cerebral vasculature and neurones. (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis before the onset of astrocytic damage, showed a global elevation of lactate, whereas choline containing compounds increased in the non-vulnerable cerebral cortex, yet decreased in the vulnerable brainstem. Similarly, glutamate increased in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and midbrain, but decreased in the susceptible brainstem. In vivo T2-weighted NMR imaging showed high signal intensities in brain nuclei shown to develop astroglial loss by conventional neuropathology at 24 hours after completion of dosing, but not at 6-10 hours. Hence the early neurochemical changes in susceptible areas contribute to the aetiology of degeneration, and those seen elsewhere may represent adaptive responses dependent on the particular phenotype of different cell groups and underlying metabolic relationships.

Effects of 1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene on cytotoxicity and metabolic activity of type I astrocytes of rats

1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene (TNB) is a munitions chemical that causes gliovascular lesions in the brain stem of rats similar to those produced by thiamine deficiency and nitroaromatic compounds, including m-dinitrobenzene. To identify neuropathic indices of toxicity, the effects of varying concentrations (0 to 2 mM) of TNB on cytotoxicity and cellular metabolic activity were examined using cultured astrocytes from Fischer-344 rats. The cytotoxicity was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage into the culture medium. Astrocyte metabolic activity was assessed by measuring the conversion of a tetrazolium salt to a formazan product. Additionally, the effects of oxidative stress on cellular metabolic activity were determined by varying oxygen tension via alteration of culture media depth. In vitro, the toxic concentration 50% (TC50) of TNB, which induced cell death, was 16 microM following a 24-h exposure. The concentration of TNB that reduced cellular metabolic activity by 50% was 29 microM following a 24-h exposure. Varying the depth of the culture media did not influence the cellular metabolic activity in control or TNB-treated astrocytes. These results support the hypothesis that TNB induced neurotoxicity could partially be mediated via injury to astrocytes, a major component of the blood-brain barrier.

Focal astrocyte loss is followed by microvascular damage, with subsequent repair of the blood-brain barrier in the apparent absence of direct astrocytic contact

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown is a feature of cerebral ischaemia, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative diseases, yet the relationship between astrocytes and the BBB integrity remains unclear. We present a simple in vivo model in which primary astrocyte loss is followed by microvascular damage, using the metabolic toxin 3-chloropropanediol (S-alpha-chlorohydrin). This model is uncomplicated by trauma, ischaemia, or primary immune involvement, permitting the study of the role of astrocytes in vascular endothelium integrity, maintenance of the BBB, and neuronal function. Male Fisher F344 rats given 3-chloropropanediol show astrocytic damage and death at 4-24 h in symmetrical brainstem and midbrain nuclear lesions, while neurons show morphological changes at 24-48 h. Fluorescent 10 kDa dextran tracers show the BBB leaking from 24 h, progressing to petechial haemorrhage after 48-72 h, with apparent repair after 6 days. BBB breakdown, but not the earlier astrocytic death, is accompanied by a delayed increase in blood flow in the inferior colliculus. An ED1 inflammatory response develops well after astrocyte loss, suggesting that inflammation may not be a factor in starting BBB breakdown. This model demonstrates that the BBB can self-repair despite the apparent absence of direct astrocytic-endothelial contact. The temporal separation of pathological events allows pharmacological intervention, and the mild reversible ataxia permits long-term survival studies of repair mechanisms.

Regional variation in the activation threshold for 1,3-DNB-induced mitochondrial permeability transition in brainstem and cortical astrocytes

1,3-Dinitrobenzene (DNB) produces edematous, glio-vascular lesions in brainstem nuclei with high energy demands. Astrocytes in vulnerable brainstem nuclei appear to be an early and selective target of DNB and other nitroaromatic compounds, though the molecular basis of this susceptibility is poorly understood. It has been postulated that mitochondria are a principal target of DNB in sensitive cell types [Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. 13 (5) (1987) 371], where redox-cycling of DNB increases levels of reactive oxygen species and disrupts cellular energy metabolism. The present study investigates the role of regional differences in activation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mtPTP) by DNB in brainstem and cortical astrocytes and examines the expression of Bcl-2 proteins as potential regulators of mtPTP function. Neonatal rat astrocytes were cultured from both DNB-sensitive (brainstem) and insensitive (cortex) brain regions and evaluated for DNB-induced alterations in cell morphology and mitochondrial function. Exposure to DNB resulted in rapid changes in the morphology of brainstem astrocytes consistent with loss of ion homeostasis and initiation of necrotic cell death. These changes were not observed in cortical astrocytes at corresponding concentrations of DNB and were prevented in brainstem astrocytes by the mtPTP inhibitor, bongkrekic acid, suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in DNB-induced morphological changes in brainstem astrocytes. Mitochondrial depolarization in brainstem astrocytes was observed at DNB concentrations as low as 10 microM, whereas no loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(mt)) occurred in cortical astrocytes at less than 100 microM DNB. DNB-induced loss of DeltaPsi(mt) followed apparent first-order kinetics, with EC(50)-values for half-maximal rates of mitochondrial depolarization of approximately 23 and approximately 290 microM in brainstem cortical astrocytes, respectively. DNB-induced mitochondrial depolarization was prevented by pretreatment with bongkrekic acid, indicating that loss of DeltaPsi(mt) was mediated by activation of the mtPTP. Inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity occurred in astrocytes from both brain regions exposed to DNB and was blocked in brainstem, but not cortical, astrocytes by bongkrekic acid. Constitutive expression of Bcl-X(L) was high in cortical tissue and astrocytes, whereas Bax expression was low. However, Bax was highly expressed in brainstem tissue and astrocytes and Bcl-X(L) expression was markedly lower. The expression of Bcl-2 was similar in both brain regions. These data suggest that the selective vulnerability of brainstem astrocytes to DNB is due to a lower threshold for activation of the mtPTP that is be mediated, in part, by distinct expression patterns of Bcl-2 proteins rather than by intrinsic differences in susceptibility of the electron transport chain.

The dynamics of blood-brain barrier breakdown in an experimental model of glial cell degeneration

This study was undertaken to investigate the dynamics of blood-brain barrier breakdown in an in vivo rat model of selective CNS vulnerability. 1,3-Dinitrobenzene was used to induce rapid glial degeneration in highly defined areas of the brainstem. Leakage of fluorescent dextran was used to demonstrate the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, and antibodies to glial and neuronal specific proteins to assess the accompanying cell changes. Beginning 18 h after a toxic dose of dinitrobenzene and before loss of glial ensheathment, a sub-population of blood vessels became permeable to fluorescent dextrans below 500,000 mol. wt in size. By 24h most macroglial cells had been lost from within susceptible areas and vascular leakage had reached peak levels. Macrophage invasion was detected three days following dinitrobenzene. Vessels continued to leak up to four days after the lesion was formed, but by six days blood-brain barrier integrity was largely re-established. Multiple tracer injections over time demonstrated that a single sub-population of vessels was leaking during the experimental period. From these findings we conclude that blood-brain barrier breakdown in this model system is highly selective, graded in extent and molecular weight specificity and not a direct consequence of astrocyte degeneration or microglial activation. This system could be useful in modeling human CNS pathological processes with a vascular component and for understanding in vivo glial blood-brain barrier interactions.

Mechanisms of injury in the central nervous system

Neurotoxicants with similar structural features or common mechanisms of chemical action frequently produce widely divergent neuropathologic outcomes. Methylmercury (MeHg) produces marked cerebellar dysmorphogenesis during critical periods of development. The pathologic picture is characterized by complete architectural disruption of neuronal elements within the cerebellum. MeHg binds strongly to protein and soluble sulphydryl groups. Binding to microtubular -SH groups results in catastrophic depolymerization of immature tyrosinated microtubules. However, more mature acetylated microtubules are resistant to MeHg-induced depolymerization. In contrast to MeHg, the structurally similar organotin trimethyltin (TMT) elicits specific apoptotic destruction of pyramidal neurons in the CA3 region of the hippocampus and in other limbic structures. Expression of the phylogenetically conserved protein stannin is required for development of TMT-induced lesions. Inhibition of expression using antisense oligonucleotides against stannin protects neurons from the effects of TMT, suggesting that this protein is required for expression of neurotoxicity. However, expression of stannin alone is insufficient for induction of apoptotic pathways in neuronal populations. The aromatic nitrocompound 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB) has 2 independent nitro groups that can redox cycle in the presence of molecular oxygen. Despite its ability to deplete neural glutathione stores, DNB produces edematous gliovascular lesions in the brain stem of rats. Glial cells are susceptible despite high concentrations of reduced glutathione compared with neuronal somata in the central nervous system (CNS). The severity of lesions produced by DNB is modulated by the activity of neurons in the affected pathways. The inherent discrepancy between susceptibility of neuronal and glial cell populations is likely mediated by differential control of the mitochondrial permeability transition in astrocytes and neurons. Lessons learned in the mechanistic investigation of neurotoxicants suggest caution in the evaluation and interpretation of structure-activity relationships, eg, TMT, MeHg, and DNB all induce oxidative stress, whereas TMT and triethyltin produce neuronal damage and myelin edema, respectively. The precise CNS molecular targets of cell-specific lipophilic neurotoxicants remain to be determined.

Pharmacokinetic factors and concentration-time threshold in m-dinitrobenzene-induced neurotoxicity

m-Dinitrobenzene is a multitarget toxicant. This study presents a concentration-time threshold model in m-dinitrobenzene (m-DNB)-induced neurotoxicity in F344 rats based on pharmacokinetic modeling and variable duration infusions with neuropathological end points. Pharmacokinetic parameters for m-DNB were determined after giving a single i.v. dose of 10 mg/kg m-DNB. Time dependency of the brain lesions was studied by either giving a single bolus i.v. dose of 30 mg/kg m-DNB or infusing this dose over 6, 12, or 24 h, or 2, 4, 6, 8, or 14 days. The results show that the 6-day infusion, in which the theoretical steady-state blood concentration was 2.0 microM, caused brain damage, whereas the 8- and 14-day infusions, in which the steady-state blood concentrations were 1.5 and 0.8 microM, respectively, did not induce apparent brain damage. When this dose was infused over 6 h, the peak blood concentration of m-DNB was 35 microM and the time (T(m)) for which m-DNB exceeded the 2-microM concentration threshold was 18.8 h, but no brain damage was observed. However, when the same total dosage was infused over periods of either 12 or 24 h, or 2, 4, or 6 days, the theoretical blood concentrations were from 21.9 to 2.0 microM and the T(m) was from 22. 7 to 144 h, and brain damage was produced. Hence a T(m) of 22.7 h was considered to be the time threshold for m-DNB-induced brain damage. It is concluded that a high concentration alone does not result in m-DNB-induced neurotoxicity and that in addition to a concentration threshold, there also exists a time threshold. Both apparently need to be exceeded before neurotoxicity is seen.

Neurotoxicity of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB): immunohistochemical study of cerebrovascular permeability

1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene (TNB) is a soil and water contaminant at certain military installations. Encephalopathy in rats given 10 daily oral doses of TNB has been reported. The lesion was bilaterally symmetric vacuolation and microcavitation in the cerebellar roof nuclei, vestibular nuclei, olivary nuclei, and inferior colliculi. The contribution of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the genesis of these lesions remains uncertain. One of the main goals of the present work was to evaluate the functional state of the BBB. Male Fischer 344 rats (five rats/group) were euthanatized after four, five, six, seven, eight, or 10 daily doses of TNB (71 mg/kg). A different set of rats (five rats/group) was allowed to recover for 10 or 30 days after receiving 10 doses of TNB. Integrity of the BBB was assessed by immunohistochemical staining for extravasated plasma albumin on paraffin-embedded sections. Rats euthanatized after four to eight doses had no lesions, and albumin extravasation in the susceptible regions of the brain was minimal. Rats receiving 10 daily doses of TNB had bilaterally symmetric vacuolation and microcavitation in the cerebellar nuclei, vestibular nuclei, and inferior colliculi in association with multifocal, often confluent foci of extravasated albumin in susceptible nuclei. Albumin was present in vascular walls, extracellular space, and neurons. Immunoreactivity in neurons was of two types: cytoplasmic staining representing pinocytic uptake and homogeneous staining of the entire neuron (nucleus and cytoplasm) due to uncontrolled albumin leakage through the damaged cell membrane. In rats allowed to recover for 10 days, the microcavitated foci were infiltrated by glial and gitter cells. Albumin immunoreactivity was present as extracellular granular debris, and neuronal staining (for albumin) was mild. In rats allowed to recover for 30 days, immunoreactivity to albumin was not seen. This study demonstrates that TNB-mediated tissue damage is accompanied by breakdown of the BBB. The presence of vacuolation and associated extravasated serum proteins in TNB-treated rats is an indication of vasogenic brain edema, which appears to be a critical event in TNB toxicity. Additional studies are needed to determine the reason for selective regional vulnerability and brain microvascular susceptibility to TNB.

Electronic spin resonance detection of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals during the reductive metabolism of drugs by rat brain preparations and isolated cerebral microvessels

A spin trapping technique was used to analyze by electron spin resonance (ESR) the formation of oxygen-derived free radicals during the cerebral reductive metabolism of xenobiotics able to undergo a single electron reduction, i.e. quinones, pyridinium compounds and nitroheterocyclics. Paraquat, menadione and nitrofurazone were used as model compounds of these three classes of molecules. ESR spectra indicative of superoxide and hydroxyl radical formation were obtained by incubation of brain homogenates directly within the ESR cavity at 37 degrees C for each of the three molecules tested. These signals were dependent on nucleotide cofactors, and increased in a time-dependent manner. The NADPH and NADH dependent free radical production was further characterized in brain microsomal and mitochondrial fractions, respectively. By using various combinations of reactive species inactivating enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase), a metal chelator (deferoxamine), and an hydroxyl trapping agent (dimethylsulfoxide), it was shown that (1) the primary radical generated was the superoxide anion; and (2) a significant production of the hydroxyl radical also occurred, that was secondary to the superoxide anion production. Consistent signals indicative of the production of both oxygen-derived free radicals were obtained when isolated cerebral microvessels which constitute the blood-brain barrier were incubated with the model molecules. This is of particular toxicological relevance, because this barrier represents a key element in the protection of the brain, and is in close contact with blood-born exogenous molecules.

The effects of the tremorgenic mycotoxin penitrem A on the rat cerebellum

Within 10 minutes of intraperitoneal injection of penitrem A (3 mg/kg), rats develop severe generalized tremors and ataxia that persist for up to 48 hours. These are accompanied by a three- to fourfold increase in cerebellar cortical blood flow. Mitochondrial swelling occurs in cerebellar stellate and basket cells within 30 minutes of dosing and persists for more than 12 hours without leading to cell death. From 2 hours, Purkinje cell dendrites show early cytoplasmic condensation accompanied by fine vacuolation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and enlargement of perikaryal mitochondria. From 6 hours, many Purkinje cells develop intense cytoplasmic condensation with eosinophilia that resembles "ischemic cell change," and from 12 hours, many other Purkinje cells show marked watery swelling. Astrocytes begin to swell from 0.5 hours after injection and show hypertrophy of organelles from 6 hours. Also from 6 hours onward, discrete foci of necrosis appear in the granule cell layer, while permeability of overlying meningeal vessels to horseradish peroxidase becomes evident at 8 hours. All changes are more severe in vermis and paravermis. Despite widespread loss of Purkinje cells, the animals' behavior becomes almost normal within a week. While tremor occurs with doses of 1.5 and 0.5 mg/kg, cellular damage is minimal. The tremor mechanism differs from that of harmaline since destruction of inferior olivary nuclei abolishes neither the tremor response to penitrem A nor the cellular damage. No morphological changes are found in other brain regions. The affinities of penitrem A for high-conductance calcium-dependent potassium channels and for gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors with the probability of resultant excitotoxity are considered to be important underlying factors for these changes.

Cellular responses of cultured cerebellar astrocytes to ethacrynic acid-induced perturbation of subcellular glutathione homeostasis

Glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-related enzyme systems in astrocytes play an important role in cellular defense against oxidative stress in the nervous system. The present study was designed to characterize the cellular responses of cultured astrocytes to chemically-induced perturbations of mitochondrial and cytosolic GSH homeostasis. Treatment of astrocytes in culture with ethacrynic acid (EA), a mitochondrion-penetrating thiol reagent, induced rapid and extensive depletion of both cytosolic and mitochondrial pools of GSH. Concomitant with the effects of EA on cellular GSH were significant and concentration-dependent increases in intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as indicated by the oxidation of preloaded 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Significant elevation of intracellular ROS occurred by 15 min following exposure to 100 microM EA and reached peak levels by 30 min which were approximately 7-fold higher than corresponding control levels. Ethacrynic acid-induced GSH depletion and intracellular ROS elevation was followed by marked decreases in glutathione reductase (GR) activity in mitochondria, and to a lesser extent, in cytosolic fractions of cultured astrocytes. This inhibitory effect was time- and concentration-dependent, and other GSH-related enzymes, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase, were not or only slightly affected. Kinetic studies showed that EA markedly diminished V(max) values of both mitochondrial and cytosolic GR without affecting K(m), suggesting noncompetitive inhibition of this thiol-dependent enzyme. Another thiol-dependent enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was also markedly inhibited by EA in a time-dependent fashion. Subsequent decline of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (rhodamine 123 uptake) and cellular ATP production following EA treatment occurred prior to the onset of loss of cell viability as indicated by lactate dehydrogenase leakage. These results suggest that the loss of mitochondrial GSH may render the astrocytes unable to combat the pathological sequelae of endogenous oxidative stress, leading to perturbations of thiol-dependent enzyme activities, mitochondrial function and energy metabolism.

1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene-induced encephalopathy in male Fischer-344 rats

Administration of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB) to male Fischer-344 rats produced ataxia after 6 or 7 oral doses (71 mg/kg). Light microscopic examination after 10 days revealed petechial hemorrhages in the brain stem and cerebellum and bilaterally symmetric degeneration and necrosis (malacia) with reactive gliosis in the cerebellar peduncles. The malacia was dorsal and lateral to the fourth ventricle involving the cerebellar nuclei, medial and lateral vestibular nuclei, and inferior colliculi. Blood vessels associated with the lesion had widened Virchow-Robin spaces, occasionally with extravasated erythrocytes. Rats administered daily oral doses of 35.5 mg/kg of TNB for 10 days and 35.5 and 71 mg/kg of TNB for 1 or 4 days did not have brain lesions.

The neurotoxicity of alpha-chlorohydrin in rats and mice: II. Lesion topography and factors in selective vulnerability in acute energy deprivation syndromes

Mice and rats have been found almost equally susceptible to (R, S)-alpha-chlorohydrin neurotoxicity, but in rats the distribution of lesions in the neuraxis is less widespread. The topography of the brain lesions shows an incomplete relationship to the regional hierarchy of local glucose utilization in rats and local cerebral blood flow in mice, suggesting that other, unknown, factors also play roles in determining this. Evidence suggesting progressive tonotopic selective vulnerability was found in inferior colliculi in rats given five doses of 50 mg/kg/day. Distinct differences in the patterns of damage to brain stem centres found with chlorohydrin by comparison with other acute energy deprivation syndromes, despite the proximity of the metabolic lesions along the energy generation pathway, suggests there are other unrecognized factors that play a role in determining whether a neuronal centre is at risk or not.

Selective vulnerability in acute energy deprivation syndromes

The topography and cellular events in the experimental lesions caused by chlorosugars, 6-aminonicotinamide, dinitrobenzene and tribromoimidazole in animals are considered in relation to those features in human acute thiamine deficiency (Wernicke's) encephalopathy and for comparison in Leigh's disease. The topography and cellular changes when closely examined are different and particular to each condition, although there is a basic cellular process common to all. The pathogenesis of each condition must be considered as multifactorial and a search for the factors responsible for the neuronal and cellular selective vulnerability of different regions of the neuraxis will lead us to understanding the pathogenesis of the disease process in each instance. The experimental models offer much for the understanding of the human conditions, particularly in the search for satisfactory therapeutic strategies.

The neurotoxicity of alpha-chlorohydrin in rats and mice: I. Evolution of the cellular changes

Mice and rats are found to be equally susceptible to developing symmetrical brain stem lesions on exposure to alpha-chlorohydrin and in both species the earliest neurotoxic changes are strictly confined to glial cells, particularly astrocytes; haemorrhages are not found in either species. Minimal evidence of increased vascular leakage of horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) in rats is shown by increased HRP content of perivascular cells within the lesions. Later macrophage invasion and capillary proliferation is accompanied by rare focal leakiness of HRP. Gross astrocytic damage, therefore, does not necessarily impair integrity of the blood-brain barrier. While early in intoxication, astrocytes are severely distended with fluid and their organelles seriously disorganized, they do not die but rapidly regenerate their processes. They thus appear to undergo a process of 'clasmatodendrosis' from which they recover. Comparisons are made with the genesis of symmetrical brain stem lesions in other acute energy deprivation syndromes, including Wernicke's encephalopathy.

Methyl bromide intoxication and acute energy deprivation syndromes

The case reported in this issue of symmetrical brain stem damage associated with exposure to methylbromide has affinities with a number of analogous syndromes associated with tissue energy deprivation. Attention is drawn to topographical and metabolic similarities and differences in these conditions, and suggestions are made for possible ways of mitigating the damage in future cases that may also be of value in Wernicke and Leigh's diseases.

Astrocyte-endothelial interaction: physiology and pathology

The blood-brain barrier of higher vertebrates is formed by the layer of endothelial cells lining the brain microvessels. The close anatomical association between endothelial cells and perivascular astrocytic end feet suggests cooperation between these cell types in forming and maintaining the blood-brain barrier. This review considers evidence from grafting experiments, developmental studies and culture models of the brain endothelium, concerning the inductive influences acting on the endothelium, and from endothelial cells acting on perivascular astrocytes. Examples from pathology and neurotoxicology which may involve breakdown of induction are also considered.