Comparison of prostanoid forming capacity of neuronal and astroglial cells in primary cultures.

Prostaglandin (PG) and thromboxane (TX) biosynthesis in primary neuronal and astroglial cell cultures was studied. Cultures obtained from fetal (15-16 days old) and neonatal rat brain hemispheres were characterized by chemical and immunocytochemical staining techniques as predominantly neurons or mature and immature astrocytes, respectively. Six-day old neuronal cell cultures grown in the presence of cytosine arabinoside (2 ?M) from the day 3 onwards were contaminated up to 10% with glioblasts. In astroglial cultures up to 3% of the cells were postively stained with a marker for oligodendroglial cells. Fibroblast contamination was below 1% in both cultures. Prostanoid formation (measured by specific radioimmunoassays) in 6-day old neuronal cell cultures was low (sum of the amount of PGs and TX formed: 1.16 +/- 0.17 (ng/mg protein/15 min) as compared to 14-day old cultured astroglial cells: 21.27 +/- 2.53 (ng/mg protein/15 min). Also the pattern of prostanoids formed was different in neuronal (PGD(2) ? PGF(2?) > TXB(2) ? PGE(2)) and astroglial cells (PGD(2) > TXB(2) ? PGF(2?) ? PGE(2) ? 6-ketoPGF(1?)). Preincubation with arachidonic acid (1 ?g/ml) did not affect prostanoid formation in both cultures, whereas it was stimulated 4-6-fold by addition of the calcium ionophore A23187 (1 ?M). These results, although found on cultured neuronal and glial cells of different stages of development, support the view that astroglial cells might play a crucial role in brain prostanoid synthesis.