Kyoji Morita (1), Itsuo Tokunaga (2) and Shin-ichi Kubo (2)
(1) Department of Pharmacology and (2) Department of Legal Medicine, Tokushima
University School of Medicine, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Abstract: Although paraquat has been shown to cause oxidative damage
to neuronal cells, little is known about its effect on glial cells. Thus
the effect of paraquat on glial cells was examined using rat C6 glioma cells
as a model system. Paraquat reduced cell viability in a concentration- and
time-dependent manner, and this toxic effect was not significantly attenuated
by various kinds of antioxidants. Furthermore, paraquat failed to increase
8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine formation in the cells. These results indicate
that paraquat can be toxic to glial cells and suggest that this cytotoxic
effect may not be associated with the oxidative damage to the cells.
Keywords: Paraquat, Cytotoxicity, Rat C6 glioma cell