IL-1 system in apoptosis of murine hippocampal neurons of dentate gyrus induced by trimethyltin administration

Growing evidence suggests that two modes of cell death, known as apoptosis and necrosis, are involved in postanoxic injury. The current opinion on these two types of cell death is that apoptosis and necrosis are not always the uniform and distinct events. The aim of this study was to determine ultrastructural criteria of postanoxic neuronal changes in model of anoxia in vitro . The organotypic cultures of rat hippocampus exposed to 10- and 20-min of anoxic insult revealed the morphological features classic for both necrotic and apoptotic neuronal cell injury. Some neurones exhibited the typical necrotic lysis whereas others clearly reflected an active apoptotic form of cell death consisting of nuclear condensation with early preservation of cell membranes. However, numerous damaged cells shared both apoptotic and necrotic ultrastructural characteristics. These results evidenced the morphological continuum between apoptosis and necrosis under anoxia in vitro .