The effect of mephedrone on human neuroblastoma and astrocytoma cells

Ibrahim M Alanazi; Abdullah R Alzahrani; Mohammad A Alsaad; Abdulaziz L Moqeem; Abdulmohsen M Hamdi; Mohiuddin M Taher; David G Watson; M Helen Grant

doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2024.102011

The effect of mephedrone on human neuroblastoma and astrocytoma cells

Saudi Pharm J. 2024 Apr;32(4):102011. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2024.102011. Epub 2024 Feb 28.

Authors

Ibrahim M Alanazi¹, Abdullah R Alzahrani¹, Mohammad A Alsaad², Abdulaziz L Moqeem³, Abdulmohsen M Hamdi³, Mohiuddin M Taher⁴, David G Watson⁵, M Helen Grant⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abidiyah, P.O.Box 13578, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Parasitology, College of Medicine, Umm AL Qura University, Al-Abidiyah, P.O.Box 13578, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia.
³ Home Health Care,Directorate of Health Affairs Jeddah, Ministry of Health, P.O.Box11176, Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Science and Technology Unit, Deanship of Scientific Research, and Department of Medical Genetics, College of Medicine, Umm-Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, UK.
⁶ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NW, UK.

Abstract

Mephedrone is an illegal drug that is used recreationally. Few studies have been conducted to investigate the mechanisms by which mephedrone is harming cells. In this research, we investigated the effect of mephedrone using toxicology coupled with LC-MS/MS based metabolomics in the two CNS derived cell lines. Methods of assessment such as neutral red (NR) assay, dimethylthiazolyl diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) measurement, and morphology were performed to identify the effect on cell viability and to identify the best concentration to be used in a metabolomics study. A concentration of 100 _μM of mephedrone was used in the metabolomic experiment because at this concentration mephedrone had induced several intracellular changes. Although there no clear indicators of cellular damage caused by mephedrone. In astrocytes there was a clear indication that cell membrane function might be impaired by depletion of ether lipids.

Keywords: Glutathione; LC-MS/MS; Mephedrone; Metabolomics.