Ketamine protects cultured neocortical neurons from hypoxic injury.
The general anesthetic ketamine, which has recently been reported to block the excitation of cortical neurons by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), was found to markedly reduce neuronal loss in murine neocortical cell cultures exposed to a hypoxic atmosphere or to cyanide. These observations may be relevant to attempts to find pharmacological means of minimizing hypoxic brain damage in the clinical setting.
D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism*; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D012966:Sodium Cyanide / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
D007649:Ketamine; D012966:Sodium Cyanide