Hypoxia/reoxygenation induces cell injury via different mechanisms in cultured rat cortical neurons and glial cells

Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) causes cell injury/death. We examined the protection by drugs intervening at various stages of the injury cascade in cultured neurons and glia. Primary cultures of rat cortical neurons and mixed glia were subjected to H/R. Measurements of cell death (by lactate dehydrogenase release into the medium) and viability (by MTT reduction) indicated that H/R led to time-dependent injury in both neuronal and mixed glial cultures. The extent of cell injury in neurons was significantly greater than in glia cells. Pretreatment with (+)-MK-801 hydrogen maleate (MK-801) (an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist), N^ω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase) or free radical scavengers reduced the extent of the H/R-elicited neuronal damage. MK-801, in contrast, was without effect on glial cells while L-NAME was effective. Our results suggest differential mechanism(s) and susceptibility to injury caused by H/R for neurons and mixed glia.