Ethanol-induced cell death in cultured rat astroglia.

Because of the important role of glial cells in brain maturation and reports on their delayed proliferation following ethanol exposure, it was considered of interest to investigate the mechanism of ethanol action on these cells. Biochemical parameters related to the apoptotic and necrotic processes in astroglial cells exposed for 1 week to 50 and 100 mM ethanol were examined. Ethanol increased intracellular calcium levels without changing transglutaminase activity and nitrite levels. Moreover, DNA fragmentation was noted with flow cytometry and with the random oligonucleotide primed synthesis assay but neither following agar gel electrophoresis nor in UV microscopy of cell nuclei. The DNA patterns obtained were different from these seen in programmed cell death. Additionally, immunocytochemical analysis showed greater fragility of astrocytes than oligodendrocytes to ethanol. These results support the hypothesis that astroglial cells in vitro exposed to ethanol die due to necrotic but not apoptotic mechanisms.