MEASUREMENT OF INTRACELLULAR FREE ZINC IN LIVING NEURONS

Excessive Zn2+ influx has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuro nal death after global ischemia or prolonged seizures, but little is p resently known about cellular regulation of intracellular free Zn2+ ([ Zn2+](i)). In large part, this is because the tools currently availabl e for measuring [Zn2+](i) are limited in comparison to those available for measuring [Ca2+](i) or other ions. We outline here approaches to this task that have been taken in the past, and summarize our recent e xperience using mag-fura-5 to measure [Zn2+](i) in living cortical neu rons exposed to toxic levels of extracellular Zn2+. (C) 1997 Academic Press.