Glutamate Toxicity: An Experimental and Theoretical Analysis

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Abstract
In slices of 8‐day‐old rat cerebellum, the lowest concentration of glutamate that induced toxicity (30 min exposure; 90 min recovery) was 100 μM, but the damage only occurred in the outermost regions. As the concentration was raised, the band of necrosis became progressively deeper until, at 3 mM, it was uniform across the slice thickness. At a test concentration of 300 μM, the width of the necrotic band did not change when either the exposure time or the recovery period was varied between 30 min and 3 h. These results are predicted by a theoretical model in which the diffusion of glutamate into brain tissue is countered by cellular uptake of the amino acid, and they argue against the idea that glutamate toxicity is inherently self‐propagating. When slices were examined immediately after exposure (300 μM), a prominent swelling of glial cells was present at the slice surface. Swelling per se did not appear to compromise their uptake function, and the model predicts that cellular swelling, by reducing the rate of diffusion of glutamate, protects against glutamate toxicity. The damage produced by 3 mM glutamate, which was primarily exerted against granule cells, was prevented by W‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade, whereas antagonists acting at α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors were ineffective. Under conditions of energy deprivation, the neurotoxic potency of glutamate was markedly enhanced and a normally non‐toxic concentration (30 μM) became maximally toxic towards granule cells. Dark vacuolar degeneration of Purkinje cells was also present, and this could be inhibited by blocking AMPA receptors. The results and theoretical analysis suggest that intact brain tissue is remarkably resistant to glutamate toxicity, chiefly because of the formidable properties of the uptake system. However, under special circumstances, glutamate can become a potent neurotoxin and its toxicity can then involve both NMDA and AMPA receptors.