Evaluation of the protective effects of cyclosporin a and FK506 on abnormal cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ dynamics during ischemia and exposure to high glutamate concentration in mouse brain slice preparations.

We examined the protective effects of the immunosuppressants cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506 on abnormal cytosolic Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]c) and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]m) dynamics induced by ischemia or high L-glutamate concentration in mouse brain slice preparations. We used fura-4F and rhod-2 as indicators for [Ca²⁺]c and [Ca²⁺]m, respectively, in their acetoxymethylester form. Slice preparations loaded with either of these two indicators were exposed to ischemic artificial cerebrospinal fluid (oxygen- and glucose-deprived medium) for 12 min or to aerobic medium with high L-glutamate concentration (isotonic 20 mM L-glutamate) for 5 min.