Development of norepinephrine transporter reuptake inhibition assays using SK-N-BE(2)C cells

This report describes efforts to develop and validate novel norepinephrine transporter reuptake inhibition assays using human neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2)C cells in 24-well format. Before conducting the assays, the SK-N-BE(2)C cells were first evaluated for their ability to uptake [3H]norepinephrine and were shown to have a saturable uptake with a KM value of 416 nM. Using this determined KM value, reuptake inhibition assays were then conducted with a variety of ligands including antidepressants, as well as piperazine and phenyltropane derivatives. The results obtained with the SK-N-BE(2)C cells indicate that this model system can detect a range of ligand potencies, which compare well with other established transporter assays. Our data suggest that SK-N-BE(2)C cells have potential utility to serve as another model system to detect norepinephrine reuptake inhibition activity.

Decker, A. M., & Blough, B. E. (2018). Development of norepinephrine transporter reuptake inhibition assays using SK-N-BE(2)C cells. Heliyon, 4(5), [e00633]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00633