Cytoprotective effect of NMDA receptor antagonists on prion protein (PrionSc)-induced toxicity in rat cortical cell cultures.

Rat cortical cells were incubated with the Scrapie prion protein, PrionSc. At concentrations of 3 ng/ml of PrionSc and higher, the viability of the cells decreased significantly after a 12-h incubation period. Simultaneously, the degree of DNA fragmentation increased.