Acetylcholinesterase activation in organotypic rat hippocampal slice cultures deprived of oxygen and glucose

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was analyzed in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs) during recovery from a brief period (20 min) of combined hypoxia and hypoglycemia. Simulated ischemia transiently increased AChE activity in OHSCs in a time-dependent manner reaching a 1.5 fold increase at 6 h post-ischemia. The ischemia-induced AChE increase was totally abolished by incubation with 10 microM dizocilpine (MK-801), a neuroprotective NMDA receptor blocker.