Establishing a human in vitro model of ischaemia to examine therapeutic strategies of stroke

Introduction: Stroke is the third leading cause of death in major industrialized countries, and it is the main reason for disability. Glutamate excitotoxicity plays a critical role in brain ischemia. Upon ischemia large amounts of glutamate are released acting subsequently on NMDA receptors. Methods: A human in-vitro model of hypoxia/ischemia originating from embryonic NTera2 teratocarcinoma (NT2) cells has been developed and used to investigate the molecular mechanisms associated with hypoxia/ischemia. Human NT2 cells were differentiated into postmitotic NT2 neurons (NT2-N) by treatment with retinoic acid and m…