Effects of N-acetylcysteine and ebselen on arachidonic acid release from astrocytes and neurons cultured in normoxic or simulated ischemic conditions.

Arachidonic acid (AA) is released from cells after nervous tissue injuries.We treated rat cortical neurons and astrocytes cultured under normoxic or simulated ischemic conditions with N-acetylcysteine (100 or 200 microM) or ebselen (10 or 20 microM). N-acetylcysteine decreased AA release in normoxic astrocytes, while ebselen decreased AA release from astrocytes in both conditions. N-acetylcysteine produced no changes in neuronal AA release. A low dose of ebselen significantly increased AA release from neurons in both conditions. The influence of N-acetylcysteine and ebselen on AA release might be implicated in their effects on astrocytes and neurons, however, the exact mechanisms have yet to be explained.