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Query: UMLS:C0003129 (Anoxia)
 551 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neurons grown in cultures of dissociated brain cells degenerate when exposed to anoxia and deprived of glucose. We have developed culture systems in which neurons can be grown in the presence or absence of astrocytes and have used them to study the influence of astrocytes on the neuronal degeneration induced by anoxia and glucopenia. Cultures were prepared from fetal rat forebrains. Mixed cultures contained neurons (identified by immunocytochemical staining of neuron-specific enolase, NSE) and about an equal number of non-neuronal cells (identified by glial fibrillary acid protein). Pure neuronal cultures were prepared by adding a cytostatic compound (cytosine arabinoside) to the medium. Treated cultures were exposed for 4 h to glucose-free medium and an atmosphere of 95% N2 and 5% CO2, whereas control cultures were left in the usual medium containing glucose and in an atmosphere composed of 95% air and 5% CO2. After an interval of 24 h, cultures were fixed, taken for NSE staining, and the number of surviving neurons was counted. Exposure to anoxia and glucopenia reduced the number of surviving neurons in pure neuronal cultures to 5-10% of control levels. In contrast, in mixed cultures 40-60% of the neurons survived these conditions. Anoxia without glucose deprivation reduced the number of surviving neurons in both types of cultures to the same extent as anoxia combined with glucopenia. Glucose deprivation alone was ineffective. The findings suggest a protective influence of astrocytes on neurons under anoxic conditions. gamma-D-Glutamylglycine protected neurons in both types of cultures from anoxia-induced degeneration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Astrocytes protect cultured neurons from degeneration induced by anoxia. 367 91

The detection of neuron-specific enolase in biological fluids has been investigated as an indirect marker of neuronal damage in man. This protein was measured by a sandwich enzymoimmunoassay in serums and cerebrospinal fluids from patients with consciousness disorders of various aetiologies. Neuron-specific enolase level was significantly increased in sera from patients with comas resulting from anoxemia, head injury, septic state, cirrhosis and fulminant hepatitis. On the other hand, patients with meningitis (affection not normally accompanied with neuronal lesion) exhibited no change of this marker level. The statistical analysis of our results suggests that, in neurological disorders, the neuron-specific enolase levels in cerebrospinal fluid could have some prognostic value. The correlation between its level in cerebrospinal fluid and in serum was also demonstrated. Neuron-specific enolase increase in biological fluids thus represents a useful and promising marker to biochemically characterize various strokes possibly resulting in neuronal damage.
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PMID:Neuron-specific enolase as a marker of neuronal lesions during various comas in man. 2048 94