Abstract
To investigate whether nitric oxide (NO) plays a role in the neurotoxicity produced by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) we have examined the effects of NO inhibitors on NMDA-mediated neurodegeneration in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices. l-NG-Monomethylarginine, l-NG-nitroarginine and hemoglobin markedly diminished the toxicity produced by activation of NMDA receptors without interfering with NMDA receptor-mediated ion currents or synaptic responses. The neuroprotective effects are reversed by coapplication of l-arginine with the NO synthase inhibitors. These results suggest that activation of the NO system is an important component of the biochemical cascade leading to neurodegeneration produced by NMDA receptors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 227-230 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Neuroscience Letters |
| Volume | 135 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 3 1992 |
Keywords
- Calcium
- Excitotoxicity
- Hemoglobin
- Hippocampus
- N-Methyl-d-aspartate
- Nitric oxide