Abstract
We studied the effect of exposing hippocampal slice cultures to 6 μM bicuculline (BiC) for 6 days in vitro. The slices were prepared from Wistar rat hippocampus at postnatal day (P) 2, 8 or 21, and developmental and regional difference of neuronal vulnerability was investigated. Cellular propidium iodide (PI) uptake and immuno-histochemical staining of activated caspase-3 were used to evaluate neuronal cell damages. BiC induced PI uptake only in CA2-CA3 sectors after 12-24 hours exposure in slice cultures prepared from P8 or P21 rat hippocampus. No PI uptake was observed in slices from P2. In some cases, caspase-3 positive cells co-localized with the PI uptake positive cells. However, cells immunoreactive to c-fos antibody seldom co-localized with PI uptake positive cells. These results suggest that (1) BiC induces neuronal cell death in age- and region-dependent manner. (2) Both necrosis and apoptosis pathways are involved in the neuronal cell death. [Jpn J Physiol 55 Suppl:S204 (2005)]
