A novel method for the rapid determination of beta-amyloid toxicity on acute hippocampal slices using MTT and LDH assays.

It is difficult task to measure precisely the toxic effect of beta-amyloid (Aβ 1-42) peptides and also the protective effect of novel drug candidates against Aβ-peptides. The widely used MTT-assay in cell lines or primary cell cultures could be insensitive against Aβ-peptides. We describe here an easy and relevant method for testing Aβ 1-42 toxicity on acute hippocampal slices derived from rat. Brain slice viability in different conditions was measured using MTT and LDH assays. The concomitant use of these two assays can give detailed and relevant results on the toxic effect of Aβ 1-42 in oxygen-glucose deprived (OGD) acute brain slice model. Both assays are capable of quantifying tissue viability by measuring optical density (OD). We found that simultaneous application of OGD and Aβ 1-42 treatment induced a more intensive decrease in hippocampal slice viability than their separate effects. The use of MTT and LDH assay for quantifying brain slice viability proved to be an easy ex vivo method for investigating Aβ toxicity. Testing brain slices is more relevant in Alzheimer's Disease research than using in vitro cell cultures, due to maintenance of the three dimensional cellular network, the cell variability and intact cell connections.