Nitric oxide is involved in anoxic preconditioning neuroprotection in rat hippocampal slices.

Sublethal anoxia/ischemia protects against subsequent damaging insults in intact brain or hippocampal slices. To help further understand mechanisms underlying anoxic/ischemic preconditioning, we tested three hypotheses which were that: (a) anoxic preconditioning (APC) improves electrical recovery in rat hippocampal slices; (b) anoxic preconditioning requires nitric oxide (NO); and (c) anoxic preconditioning blocks mitochondrial dysfunction that occurs following re-oxygenation after anoxia. Control hippocampal slices underwent a single 'test' anoxic insult. Experimental slices were preconditioned by 3 short anoxic insults prior to the 'test' insult. Evoked potentials (EPs), and NADH redox st…