Inhibition of voltage-gated calcium channels after subchronic and repeated exposure of PC12 cells to different classes of insecticides

We previously demonstrated that acute inhibition of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) is a common mode of action for (sub)micromolar concentrations of chemicals, including insecticides. However, since human exposure to chemicals is usually chronic and repeated, we investigated if selected insecticides from different chemical classes (organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates and neonicotinoids) also disturb calcium homeostasis after subchronic (24 hours) exposure and after a subsequent (repeated) acute exposure.Effects on calcium homeostasis were investigated with single-cell fluorescence (Fura-2) imaging of PC12 cells. Cells were depolarized with high-K(+) saline to study effects of subchronic or repeated exposure on VGCC-mediated Ca(2+) influx.The results demonstrate that except for carbaryl and imidacloprid, all selected insecticides inhibited depolarization (K(+))-evoked Ca(2+) influx after subchronic exposure (IC50's: ~1-10 µM) in PC12 cells. These inhibitory effects were not or only slowly reversible. Moreover, repeated exposure augmented the inhibition of the K(+)-evoked increase in [Ca(2+)]i induced by subchronic exposure to cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-oxon and endosulfan (IC50's: ~0.1-4 µM). In rat primary cortical cultures, acute and repeated chlorpyrifos exposure also augmented inhibition of VGCCs compared to subchronic exposure.In conclusion, compared to subchronic exposure, repeated exposure increases the potency of insecticides to inhibit VGCCs. However, the potency of insecticides to inhibit VGCCs upon repeated exposure was comparable to the inhibition previously observed following acute exposure, with the exception of chlorpyrifos. The data suggest that an acute exposure paradigm is sufficient for screening chemicals for effects on VGCCs and that PC12 cells are a sensitive model for detection of effects on VGCCs.