Jpn. J. Pharmacol. 73 (4), 371-374 (1997)


Ether Extract of Fetal Calf Serum Protects Cultured Rat Cortical Neurons against Glutamate Cytotoxicity

Toshiaki Kume (1), Hanae Kohchiyama (1), Hiroyuki Nishikawa (1), Takehiko Maeda (1), Shuji Kaneko (1), Akinori Akaike (1,*), Naoki Noda (2) and Tetsuro Fujita (3)

(1) Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-01, Japan
(2) Department of Chemistry of Natural Products and (3) Department of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Setsunan University, Hirakata 573-01, Japan
(*) To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract: The effects of an ether extract of fetal calf serum (EE-FCS) on glutamate-induced cytotoxicity were examined using primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. The simultaneous addition of EE-FCS and glutamate reduced glutamate cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner. EE-FCS also reduced the cytotoxicity induced by S-nitrosocysteine, a nitric oxide (NO) donor. The findings indicate that EE-FCS contains lipid-soluble, non-peptide substances with neuroprotective actions against NO-mediated glutamate neurotoxicity.

Keywords: Fetal calf serum, Glutamate, Nitric oxide


Copyright© The Japanese Pharmacological Society 1997

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