RIP3/MLKL-mediated neuronal necroptosis induced by methamphetamine at 39°C

Methamphetamine is one of the most prevalent drugs abused in the world. Methamphetamine abusers usually present with hyperpyrexia (39°C), hallucination and other psychiatric symptoms. However, the detailed mechanism underlying its neurotoxic action remains elusive. This study investigated the effects of methamphetamine + 39°C on primary cortical neurons from the cortex of embryonic Sprague-Dawley rats. Primary cortex neurons were exposed to 1 mM methamphetamine + 39°C. Propidium iodide staining and lactate dehydrogenase release detection showed that methamphetamine + 39°C triggered obvious necrosis-like death in cultured primary cortical neurons, which could be partially inhibited by receptor-interacting protein-1 (RIP1) inhibitor Necrostatin-1 partially. Western blot assay results showed that there were increases in the expressions of receptor-interacting protein-3 (RIP3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) in the primary cortical neurons treated with 1 mM methamphetamine + 39°C for 3 hours. After pre-treatment with RIP3 inhibitor GSK’872, propidium iodide staining and lactate dehydrogenase release detection showed that neuronal necrosis rate was significantly decreased; RIP3 and MLKL protein expression significantly decreased. Immunohistochemistry staining results also showed that the expressions of RIP3 and MLKL were up-regulated in brain specimens from humans who had died of methamphetamine abuse. Taken together, the above results suggest that methamphetamine + 39°C can induce RIP3/MLKL regulated necroptosis, thereby resulting in neurotoxicity. The study protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, China (approval numbers: 2017-S026 and 2017-S033) on March 7, 2017.