Effects of Nitrendipine on Cocaine-Induced Toxicity Evaluated in Primary Myocardial Cell Cultures

Cocaine (COC) is frequently consumed in polydrug abuse settings, and ethanol (EtOH) is the most prominent co-abused substance. Clinical data and experimental evidence suggest that the co-administration of COC with EtOH can be more cardiotoxic than EtOH or COC alone, but information on the molecular pathways involved is scarce. Since these data are crucial to potentiate the identification of therapeutic targets to treat intoxications, we sought to (i) elucidate the type of interaction that occurs between both substances, and (ii) assess the mechanisms implicated in the cardiotoxic effects elicited by COC combined with EtOH. For this purpose, H9c2 cardiomyocytes were exposed to COC (104 µM-6.5 mM) and EtOH (977 µM-4 M), individually or combined at a molar ratio based on blood concentrations of intoxicated abusers (COC 1: EtOH 9; 206 µM-110 mM). After 24 h, cell metabolic viability was recorded by the MTT assay and mixture toxicity expectations were calculated using the independent action (IA) and concentration addition (CA) models. EtOH (EC 305.26 mM) proved to act additively with COC (EC 2.60 mM) to significantly increase the drug in vitro cardiotoxicity, even when both substances were combined at individually non-cytotoxic concentrations. Experimental mixture testing (EC 19.18 ± 3.36 mM) demonstrated that the cardiotoxicity was fairly similar to that predicted by IA (EC 22.95 mM) and CA (EC 21.75 mM), supporting additivity. Concentration-dependent increases of intracellular ROS/RNS and GSSG, depletion of GSH and ATP, along with mitochondrial hyperpolarization and activation of intrinsic, extrinsic, and common apoptosis pathways were observed both for single and combined exposures. In general, the mixture exhibited a toxicological profile that mechanistically did not deviate from the single drugs, suggesting that interventions such as antioxidant administration might aid in the clinical treatment of this type of polydrug intoxication. In a clinical perspective, the observed additive mixture effect may reflect the increased hazards at which users of this combination are exposed to in recreational settings.

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A primary culture system of adult rat heart cells for the evaluation of cocaine toxicity

Welder

1992

Toxicology

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Effects of Nitrendipine on Cocaine-Induced Toxicity Evaluated in Primary Myocardial Cell Cultures

Cited by 14 publications

References 16 publications

Diretrizes Brasileiras de Hipertensão Arterial – 2020

Diretrizes Brasileiras de Hipertensão Arterial – 2020

Ethanol addictively enhances the in vitro cardiotoxicity of cocaine through oxidative damage, energetic deregulation, and apoptosis

A primary culture system of adult rat heart cells for the evaluation of cocaine toxicity

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