Pharmacological Research, cilt.42, sa.6, ss.547-551, 2000 (SCI-Expanded)
Glutamate (10-7 M) and one of its non-NMDA receptor agonists, kainic acid (10-4 M), were administered to rat cerebellar granular cell cultures, and the neuroprotective role of salicylic acid was examined. Glutamate induced 38.58 ± 1.45% neuronal cell death while kainic acid induced only 21.4 ± 2.01% despite being 1000 times more concentrated. The most effective dose for the neuroprotective effect of salicylate in glutamate-induced neurotoxicity was 10-5 M and it had no protective effect at 10-7 M. With kainic acid-induced toxicity, 10-6 M salicylate had no protective effect but 10-5 M and · 10-4 M salicylic acid were very effective against kainic acid-induced toxicity. As an OH-trapping agent, salicylate had a protective role in NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-activated neuronal cell death. The present study gives some important clues about oxygen free radical generation having an important role in glutamate- and kainic acid-induced neurotoxicity. On the other hand, the neuroprotective effects of salicylic acid in the present study may depend on the pH alterations in salicylic acid solutions. (C) 2000 Academic Press.