Effects of NMDA receptor inhibition by phencyclidine on the neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and exposing the developing brain to PCP has been shown to cause deficits in neurobehavioral functions. In the present study we tested the effects of PCP, as an NMDA receptor inhibitor, on the neuronal differentiation and biogenic amines levels including norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) in the rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. After PC12 cells were differentiated with nerve growth factor (NGF) in the presence of PCP, NMDA binding kinetics, biogenic amines analysis and NMDA receptor protein expression assay were conducted. The results showed that NMDA receptor binding activities were significantly increased after differentiated with NGF in PC12 cells. B(max) values were increased in differentiated cells by four-folds, whereas K(d) values were not changed. All of biogenic amines were significantly increased in differentiated cells. On the other hand, PCP at 50 and 100 microM inhibited neuronal differentiation in a dose-dependent manner in NGF-stimulated PC12 cells without affecting cell viability. PCP treatment during differentiation significantly reduced NMDA binding activity and biogenic amine levels. Western blotting analysis revealed that NMDA receptor protein expression was significantly higher in NGF-differentiated cells and PCP treatment decreased the expression of NMDA receptor proteins. These results indicate that NMDA receptor functions and monoaminergic nervous systems are significantly stimulated during NGF-induced differentiation. PCP suppresses neuronal outgrowth and hampers neuronal functions possibly by inhibiting NMDA receptor functions and biogenic amine production, implying the suppressive effects of PCP exposure on neuronal developments.