Effect of MPTP on primate chromaffin cells in vitro: relevance for adrenal medullary cell transplantation.

Primate adrenal medullary cells were exposed to l-methyl-4-phenyl-l,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in vitro to examine the effect of this neurotoxic agent on chromaffin cells. Chromaffin cells from monkey and humans were cultured in the presence of 100 ng/ml nerve growth factor for 1 week and then exposed to 150 μM MPTP or its active metabolite methylpyridinium ion (MPP+) for an additional week. Cells which had extended neurites in the presence of NGF showed no morphological effect in response to MPTP or MPP+ at the light microscopic level. However, there was a significant loss in catecholamines as seen by histofluorescence and high performance liquid chromotography (HPLC). Electron microscopy revealed a depletion in dense-core vesicles in chromaffin cells after chronic exposure to MPTP while the mitochondria appeared similar to those observed in control cells. Replacement of MPTP medium with standard medium stimulated restoration of catecholamine histofluorescence after 7 days. An acute 15 min pretreatment of chromaffin cells with MPTP or MPP+ induced secretion of catecholamines over a 1 h pulse, with MPP+ producing the maximum and more rapid secretion as determined by HPLC. These data indicate that MPTP induces a dramatic loss in catecholamines in primate chromaffin cells in vitro after both acute and chronic exposures; however, removal of the toxic agent permits restoration of catecholamines without permanent effect on the integrity of these cells.