title: Lack of excitotoxic cell death in serum-free cultures of rat cerebral cortex.
abstract: The excitotoxicity of glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate and kainate were compared in rat cerebro-cortical cell cultures grown in different media. Excitotoxic cell death was examined by phase contrast microscopy and by the measurement of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity released in the culture medium. Cells grown for 14 days in a serum-free, defined (N2) medium were resistant, while sister cultures maintained in the presence of serum responded to the excitotoxins by a significant degree of cell death. Cells cultured in serum-free medium for 7 days, and fed by a serum-containing one for an additional week exhibited vulnerability to the excitotoxins. It is concluded that the development of excitotoxicity in rat cortical cultures depends on one or more serum constituents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Georg-August University, Göttingen, F.R.G.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Erdö
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michler
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tytko
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D001790:Blood Physiological Phenomena; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000494:pharmacology; D005971:Glutamates / Q000633:toxicity; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000633:toxicity; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000633:toxicity; D016318:Quisqualic Acid / Q000633:toxicity; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D003470:Culture Media; D005971:Glutamates; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D016318:Quisqualic Acid; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D007608:Kainic Acid