Comparison of the Effects of Cyclosporin a on the Metabolism of Perfused Rat Brain Slices during Normoxia and Hypoxia

The authors evaluated and compared the metabolic effects of cyclosporin A in the rat brain during normoxia and hypoxia/reperfusion. Ex vivo 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments based on perfused rat brain slices showed that under normoxic conditions, 500 microg/L cyclosporin A significantly reduced mitochondrial energy metabolism (nucleotide triphosphate, 83 +/- 9% of controls; phosphocreatine, 69 +/- 9%) by inhibition of the Krebs cycle (glutamate, 77 +/- 5%) and oxidative phosphorylation (NAD+, 65 +/- 14%) associated with an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (285 +/- 78% of control). However, the same cyclosporin A concentration (500 microg/L) was found to be the most efficient concentration to inhibit the hypoxia-induced mitochondrial release of Ca2+ in primary rat hippocampal cells with cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations not significantly different from normoxic controls. Addition of 500 microg/L cyclosporin A to the perfusion medium protected high-energy phosphate metabolism (nucleotide triphosphate, 11 +/- 15% of control vs. 35 +/- 9% with 500 microg/L cyclosporin A) and the intracellular pH (6.2 +/- 0.1 control vs. 6.6 +/- 0.1 with cyclosporin A) in rat brain slices during 30 minutes of hypoxia. Results indicate that cyclosporin A simultaneously decreases and protects cell glucose and energy metabolism. Whether the overall effect was a reduction or protection of cell energy metabolism depended on the concentrations of both oxygen and cyclosporin A in the buffer solution.