Quantitative determination of glutamate mediated cortical neuronal injury in cell culture by lactate dehydrogenase efflux assay.

Measurement of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity released to the extracellular bathing media has been found to be a simple yet quantitative method for assessing glutamate mediated central neuronal cell injury in cortical cell culture. Extracellular LDH is both chemically and biologically stable; the magnitude of LDH efflux in the cultures correlates in a linear fashion with the number of neurons damaged by glutamate exposure.