Effect of different culture media on viability and tau protein expression in rat hippocampal slices / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of different culture media on viability and expression of tau protein in organotypic hippocampal slice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Brain slices (400 microm) from 1, 2, 4, and 8 week-old Wistar rats were prepared and cultured in minimum essential medium (MEM) or Dulbecco's modified eagle medium: nutrient mixture (DMEM/F12) medium respectively for 21 days. Viability of the slices was measured by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and expression of tau protein was detected by Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The viability of the slices was not influenced significantly by the two different culture media, while the expression level of tau protein was significantly higher in DMEM/F12 than in MEM (P < 0.05), especially in the slices from 2 and 4 week-old rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The slices from 2 or 4 week-old rat hippocampi and DMEM/F12 medium may be the preferred choice for tau associated researches. An ideal Alzheimer's disease model may be established based on the results of these researches.</p>