Preparation and Use of Cultured Astrocytes for Assay of Gliotoxicity

Cultured astrocytes provide a valuable and important system for predictive testing and mechanistic analysis of neurotoxic compounds. The culture procedures allow relatively rapid assessment of different chemicals or their metabolites over a range of concentrations, using cells derived from a restricted source. The use of multiwell plates for the cultural astrocytes means that multiple samples can be analyzed with a high degree of statistical accuracy and the cell environment can be carefully monitored or manipulated for content of nutrients, ions, agonists, antagonists, or modulators. On the other hand, cultured astrocytes are devoid of their normal integrative functions, and the lack of a blood-brain barrier, the absence of neuron-glial metabolic interactions, and metabolism of substances outside the CNS, together with local regional astrocyte heterogeneity and limited survival time (about 3 mo) are potential important shortcomings that require correlative reference to other neuronal, coculture, and in vivo studies. A recent review on astrocyte culture for evaluation of neurotoxic-induced injury can be found in ref. 1 .