Protein Kinase C and Phagocytic Activity in Amitriptyline-exposed Primary Cultures of Glial Cells

Factors which can have either an aggravating or a protective effect on glial cell activation, as found in the early stages of multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders, are not well known. Enzyme analyses and time-lapse video film were used to study the mechanisms underlying glial cell activation as induced by exposure to amitriptyline (AT). When the effects on the two enzymes protein kinase C (PKC) and 2'3’-cyclic nucleotide 3’-phosphodiesterase (CNP) were compared, PKC activity was increased by 49% and CNP activity was not affected. The addition of the essential fatty acids arachidonic acid (Ara) and alpha-linolenic acid (Lin), revealed that Lin alone activated PKC by 59%, and when Lin was co-exposed with AT, by 67%. The activation of astroglial and microglial cells and phagocytosis of oligodendroglial cells in an AT-exposed culture was recorded by video film. Further studies on AT-induced events in primary cultures of glial cells and the modulating effects of fatty acids, are in progress.