Protection from neuronal damage induced by combined oxygen and glucose deprivation in organotypic hippocampal cultures by glutamate receptor antagonists

Organotypic hippocampal cultures were exposed to defined periods (30 and 60 min) of combined oxygen and glucose deprivation, mimicking transient ischemic conditions. The involvement of different glutamate receptors in individual hippocampal subfields (CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus) was studied using antagonists of NMDA (dizocilpine) and AMPA/kainate receptors (CNQX and GYKI 52466). Staining with the fluorescent dye propidium iodide (PI) allowed detection of damaged cells. For quantitative determination of neuronal damage, fluorescence intensity was measured after a 22 h recovery period and was related to maximal fluorescence intensity measured after fixation and PI restaining of the cultures at the end of the experiment. Dizocilpine (10 microM), CNQX (100 microM) and GYKI 52466 (100 microM) provided complete protection in CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus following the moderate ischemic insult, when the antagonists were present permanently. This indicates that none of the ionotropic glutamate receptor subtypes dominated toxicity in the most sensitive subpopulation of neurons. When applied only during the recovery period protection with dizocilpine (10 microM) or CNQX (100 microM) was drastically reduced by about 60% in the most sensitive area (CA1), but only slightly by 15% in CA3. Therefore the onset of irreversible damage seems to occur earlier in CA1 than in CA3. Blockade of AMPA/kainate receptors by GYKI 52466 (100 microM) offered no neuroprotection if the compound was applied only during the recovery period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)