Figure 5.
Effects of cocaine and/or gp120 on mitochondria membrane potential in rat neurons. (A) Cells treated with cocaine and/or gp120 for 18 h were assayed for mitochondrial membrane potential by staining with JC-1 dye. Cotreatment of cells with cocaine and/or gp120 exposure resulted in reduction of the aggregation of JC-1 dye in the mitochondria (red fluorescence) and decreased ratio of the aggregate (red fluorescence) to monomer JC-1 (green fluorescence) in the cells. (B) Quantification of Δ ψm expressed as a ratio of J-aggregate to JC-1 monomer (red:green) fluorescence intensity using fluorescence plate reader. *P<.05; **P<.01 versus control group; ##P<0.01 versus gp120 group; ^^P<0.01 versus cocaine group.