Cyanide induces different modes of death in cortical and mesencephalon cells.

A comparative study was conducted in rat primary cortical (CX) and mesencephalic (MC) neurons to investigate intracellular cascades activated during cyanide-induced injury and to determine the point at which the cascades diverge to produce either apoptosis or necrosis. Cyanide treatment (400 microM) for 24 h produced primarily apoptosis in CX cells, whereas the same concentration of cyanide induced predominantly necrosis in MC cells as indicated by increased propidium iodide staining and cellular lactate dehydrogenase efflux. Cyanide increased generation of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in both CX and MC cells, but the rate of formation and nature of the oxidative species varied with cell type. Catalase decreased cyanide-induced ROS generation in CX but not in MC cells. Nitric oxide generation was more prominent after cyanide treatment of MC compared with CX cells. N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors were more involved in CX apoptosis than in MC necrosis. Mitochondrial membrane potential decreased moderately in CX cells on exposure to cyanide, whereas MC cells responded with a more pronounced reduction in potential. In CX cells cyanide produced a concentration-dependent release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and increased caspase activity, whereas little change was seen in MC neurons. Thus, cyanide-induced necrosis of MC cells involved generation of excessive amounts of nitric oxide and superoxide accompanied by mitochondrial depolarization. In contrast cyanide causes a lower level of oxidative stress in CX cells, involving mainly hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, and a moderate change in mitochondrial membrane potential that lead to cytochrome c release, caspase activation, and apoptosis.