Cocaine alters cell cycle activity of rat c6 glial cells by altering the expression cell cycle regulatory protein

Abstract

Astroglial cells seldom receive as much attention as neurons in drug abuse studies involving the central nervous system. Astroglial cells were previously thought to be passive bystanders reduced to only playing a supportive role to neurons. However, increasing understandings of the myriad functions these glial cells actually possess suggest that glial cells may play a more active role in instances of drug exposure. Furthermore the mechanisms by which cocaine uses to elicit its effects on glial cells have yet to be elucidated. This present study uses rat astroglioma cells to investigate the effects cocaine has on cell viability using a Crystal Violet Dye Uptake Assay; analyze cell cycle activity using flow cytometry; and finally the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins using an anti‐body microarray. It is expected that cocaine will decrease rat astroglioma viability in a dose‐dependent manner. It is also expected that cocaine will cause alterations the expression of specific cell cycle regulatory proteins which will subsequently result in disruptions in the normal progression of the cell cycle in these astroglioma cells. These results may clarify how cocaine elicits its effects on the cell cycle of glial cells. Research supported by NCRR/RCMI G12 RR03020 and G12 MD007582–28