Figure 2
SERMs prevent excitotoxic neuronal death in vivo after kainic acid administration. High magnification of the hilus of the dentate gyrus of ovariectomized rats stained with
toluidine blue after the i.p. injection of vehicle (Control); kainic acid (KA; 7 mg/kg); tamoxifen (1 mg/kg) and kainic acid;
raloxifene (1 mg/kg) and kainic acid; lasofoxifene (1 mg/kg) and kainic acid; bazedoxifene (2 mg/kg) and kainic acid. Kainic
acid results in the loss of hilar neurons (large cells). Small cell nuclei correspond to glial cells. Some SERMs, such as
tamoxifen, raloxifene, and bazedoxifene, prevent the excitotoxic effect of kainic acid. Adapted, with permission, from Ciriza
I, Carrero P, Azcoitia I, Lundeen SG & Garcia-Segura LM 2004 Selective estrogen receptor modulators protect hippocampal neurons
from kainic acid excitotoxicity: differences with the effect of estradiol. Journal of Neurobiology 61 209–221. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.