Comparison of plate reader-based methods with fluorescence microscopy for measurements of intracellular calcium levels for the assessment of in vitro neurotoxicity.

The intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) is an important readout for in vitro neurotoxicity since calcium is critically involved in many essential neurobiological processes, including neurotransmission, neurodegeneration and neurodevelopment. [Ca(2+)]i is often measured with considerable throughput at the level of cell populations with plate reader-based assays or with lower throughput at the level of individual cells with fluorescence microscopy. However, these methodologies yield different quantitative and qualitative results.

Synergy between essential oil components and antibiotics: a review.

With the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the lack of new antibiotics being brought onto the market, alternative strategies need to be found to cope with infections resulting from drug-resistant bacteria. A possible solution may be to combine existing antibiotics with phytochemicals to enhance the efficacy of antibiotics. A group of phytochemicals that is said to have such effects, according to in vitro studies, is essential oils (EOs) and their components.

Differential effects of 20 non-dioxin-like PCBs on basal and depolarization-evoked intracellular calcium levels in PC12 cells.

Non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs) are environmental pollutants that are well known for their neurotoxic effects. Numerous in vitro studies reported PCB-induced increases in the basal intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), and in vivo NDL-PCB neurotoxicity appears at least partly mediated by these disturbances. However, effects of NDL-PCBs on depolarization-evoked calcium influx are poorly investigated, and effects of several congeners, including PCB53, on calcium homeostasis are still unknown.