Autophagy occurs within an hour of adenosine triphosphate treatment after nerve cell damage： the neuroprotective effects of adenosine triphosphate against apoptosis

After hypoxia, ischemia, or inflammatory injuries to the central nervous system, the damaged cells release a large amount of adenosine triphosphate, which may cause secondary neuronal death. Autophagy is a form of cell death that also has neuroprotective effects. Cell Counting Kit assay, monodansylcadaverine staining, flow cytometry, western blotting, and real-time PCR were used to determine the effects of exogenous adenosine triphosphate treatment at different concentrations （2, 4, 6, 8, 10 mmol/L） over time （1, 2, 3, and 6 hours） on the apoptosis and autophagy of SH-SY5Y cells. High concentrations of extracellular adenosine triphosphate induced autophagy and apoptosis of SH-SYSY cells. The enhanced autophagy first appeared, and peaked at 1 hour after treatment with adenosine triphosphate. Cell apoptosis peaked at 3 hours, and persisted through 6 hours. With prolonged exposure to the adenosine triphosphate treatment, the fraction of apoptotic cells increased. These data suggest that the SH-SY5Y neural cells initiated autophagy against apoptosis within an hour of adenosine triphosphate treatment to protect themselves against injury.     

Evaluation of neuroprotection by lithium and valproic acid against ouabain-induced cell damage

Background: The pathophysiology of manic-depression may be associated with dysregulation of ion homeostasis. Ouabain is a potent inhibitor of the sodium–potassium adenosine triphosphatase and has been purported to mimic abnormalities seen in acute mania. As manic episodes are believed to be neurotoxic and mood stabilizers have recently been implicated as neuroprotectants, it is of interest to determine if lithium and valproic acid antagonize ouabain-induced neurotoxicity.
Methods:  Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were differentiated for 12 days then pretreated with lithium or valproic acid for 24 h and then challenged with a 10 μM ouabain insult. Cellular damage was assessed with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and apoptotic potential of ouabain was evaluated with DNA fragmentation.
Results:  Ouabain significantly increased LDH release after 72 h of treatment. Lithium pretreatment at 1 mM diminished ouabain-induced LDH release. Valproic acid alone at 100 and 1000 μg/mL significantly increased LDH release from the cells. Furthermore, it significantly potentiated ouabain-induced LDH release. DNA fragmentation suggests that ouabain induces apoptosis.
Conclusions:  Lithium at the therapeutic level of 1 mM limits the extent of cellular damage caused by 10 μM ouabain in SH-SY5Y cells as measured by LDH release. Valproic acid alone at the therapeutic concentration of 100 μg/mL induces LDH release and does not prevent ouabain-induced LDH release.     

Comparative analysis of the effects of four mood stabilizers in SH-SY5Y cells and in primary neurons

OBJECTIVES: The mood-stabilizing drug valproic acid (VPA) exerts a neurotrophic effect on the human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y. We aimed to establish whether other mood-stabilizing drugs have a similar action and which signalling pathways mediate this process. METHODS: We analysed the effects of the mood stabilizers VPA, lithium, carbamazepine and lamotrigine on proliferation, survival, neurite outgrowth and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation using the SH-SY5Y cell line. We also compared their effects in primary neurons. RESULTS: We found that VPA promotes neurite outgrowth and prevents cell death in SH-SY5Y cells, but has no effect on cell proliferation. This neurotrophic effect does not involve inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3, histone deacetylase or prolyl oligopeptidase; the effect also does not seem to involve protein kinase C. In contrast, VPA activates ERK/MAPK and the survival effect of VPA is blocked by inhibition of the ERK/MAPK signalling pathway. Moreover, other activators of ERK/MAPK, such as epidermal growth factor and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, mimic the neurotrophic effects of VPA. Other mood stabilizers do not activate ERK/MAPK and do not promote neurite outgrowth or survival of SH-SY5Y cells. In contrast, both lithium and VPA activate ERK/MAPK in rat primary cortical neurons. CONCLUSIONS: We investigated four mood stabilizers that are effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Our results suggest that, while some mood stabilizers may have additional neuroprotective effects, activation of ERK/MAPK does not appear to be a mechanism common to all mood-stabilizing drugs.     

SH-SY5Y细胞α7神经型尼古丁受体基因沉默对突触相关蛋白的影响

目的研究神经母细胞瘤细胞(SH-SY5Y)α7神经型尼古丁受体基因(α7 nAChR)表达沉默后对细胞突触相关蛋白的影响,探讨α7 nAChR神经保护作用机制及在阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer disease,AD)的发病机制中的作用。方法用Real-time PCR法和蛋白免疫印迹(Western blot)法分别测定细胞中囊泡相关蛋白(synaptophysin)和突触后膜蛋白(PSD-95)mRNA蛋白表达水平的变化。结果α7 nAChR沉默组的突触相关蛋白PSD-95、SYPmRNA及蛋白表达都有明显的减少。结论沉默SH-SY5Y细胞α7 nAChR水平能够使细胞突触相关蛋白水平减少。这可能提示了α7 nAChR与细胞突触密切相关,并且α7 nAChR对突触有一定的保护作用,进一步说明α7nAChR在阿尔茨海默病的发病中起着重要作用。     

Pretreatment of MQA,a caffeoylquinic acid derivative compound,protects against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells

Objectives: Compound MQA (1,5-O-dicaffeoyl-3-O-[4-malic acid methyl ester]-quinic acid) is a natural caffeoylquinic acid derivative isolated from Arctium lappa L. roots. This study aims to explore the neuroprotective effects of MQA against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.

Methods: The SH-SY5Y cells were divided into four groups, including control, 20 μM MQA, 200 μM H2O2, 200 μM H2O2 + 20 μM MQA groups. The effects of MQA on H₂O₂-induced cell death were measured by MTT and LDH assays. Hoechst 33342 and Annexin V-PI double staining were used to observed H2O2-induced apoptosis. Also, the effects of MQA on antioxidant system and mitochondrial pathway were explored. Further, steady-state phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2, Akt and GSK-3β were examined by Western blot analysis.

Results: Pretreatment with MQA prevented cell death in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to 200 μM H2O2 for 3 h. Meanwhile, Hoechst 33342 and Annexin V-PI double staining showed that MQA attenuated H₂O₂-induced apoptosis. These changes are related to elevation in SOD activity, reduction in MDA production and ROS formation, and increases in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). In addition, the potential mechanisms of MQA against H₂O₂-induced apoptosis are associated with increases in the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, decreases in cytochrome c release, caspase-3 and caspase-9 expressions, phosphorylation of ERK1/2, and dephosphorylation of AKT and GSK-3β.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that protective effects of MQA against H₂O₂-induced apoptosis might be associated with mitochondrial apoptosis, ERK1/2 and AKT/GSK-3β pathway.     

锂剂对SH-SY5Y细胞氧糖剥夺模型的保护作用及其对AIF凋亡通路的影响

目的 研究不同浓度的锂剂对SH-SY5Y细胞氧糖剥夺模型的保护效果,确定有效的浓度,并探讨其对AIF凋亡通路的作用,分析其神经保护作用的机制.方法 以不同浓度的锂剂对制备氧糖剥夺模型的SH-SY5Y细胞进行预处理,观察其对细胞的保护作用.MTT法描绘细胞生长曲线.Annexin V和PI双染,流式细胞仪检测各组细胞凋亡情况.免疫荧光检测凋亡诱导因子(AIF)蛋白的变化.结果 MTT显示不同浓度的锂剂对SH-SY5Y细胞氧糖剥夺模型有较强的细胞保护作用,1mmol/L氯化锂为细胞保护的有效剂量.Annexin V和PI双染,流式细胞仪检测可见锂剂处理组凋亡细胞明显减少.免疫荧光染色可见锂剂处理组AIF蛋白发生核移位减少.结论 锂剂对氧糖剥夺模型的SH-SY5Y细胞具有较强的保护作用,1mmol/L氯化锂为细胞保护的有效剂量,其作用机制之一可能是对AIF凋亡通路的抑制.     

Biochanin A protects SH-SY5Y cells against isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity by suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis

Biochanin A (BCA) is a natural organic O-methylated isoflavone with a variety of pharmacological effects, and has been reported to have neuroprotective properties. Here, we explored whether BCA protects neurocytes against isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity and investigated the underlying mechanism. Cell viability was tested by cell counting kit-8 and lactate dehydrogenase release assays. Apoptosis was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and caspase-3/7 activity assays. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and levels of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured to assess oxidative stress. Expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) was determined by western blotting. Treatment with BCA significantly attenuated the reduction of cell viability induced by isoflurane in SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, BCA treatment reversed isoflurane-induced SOD and CAT activity reduction, GSH level decline and MDA level increase. Isoflurane-induced apoptosis was also attenuated by treatment with BCA. The increase in nuclear Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1 expression induced by isoflurane was amplified by treatment with BCA. These inhibitory effects of BCA on isoflurane-induced oxidative stress, viability reduction and cell apoptosis were attenuated in Nrf2 knockdown SH-SY5Y cells. Our findings indicate that BCA protects SH-SY5Y cells against isoflurane-induced neurotoxicity via inducing the Nrf2/ARE pathway.     

Priming of cultured neurons with sabeluzole results in long-lasting inhibition of neurotoxin-induced tau expression and cell death

Sabeluzole was described to have antiischemic, antiepileptic, and cognitive-enhancing properties, and is currently under development for Alzheimer's disease. Recently, it was reported that repeated treatments with sabeluzole protect cultured rat hippocampal neurons against NMDA-and glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. We evaluated the possibility that sabeluzole elicits neuroprotection by acting, either directly or indirectly, on tau proteins. We found that repeated treatments during development of primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells with nanomolar concentrations of sabeluzole resulted in mature cells that were resistant to the excitotoxicity induced by glutamate. Also, sabeluzole treatment specifically prevented the glutamate-induced increase of tau expression without modifying the basal pattern of expression of tau proteins, as shown by measurement of mRNA and protein levels. In human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, differentiated by treatment with retinoic acid, doxorubicin increased tau immunoreactivity, and later induced cell death. Both effects were prevented by sabeluzole. Our data indicate that increased tau expression is a common response to different types of cells to neurotoxic agents, and that sabeluzole-induced neuroprotection is functionally associated with the prevention of the injury-mediated increase of tau expression. Synapse 26:95–103, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Overexpression of cytoglobin gene inhibits hypoxic injury to SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells

A plasmid for cytoglobin expression, pAcGFP1-C1-cytoglobin, was transfected into SH-SY5Y cells. Cobalt chloride was used to establish a model of hypoxia. Western blotting indicated that cytoglobin was overexpressed and there was low expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in SH-SY5Y cells after transfection. Following cobalt chloride-induced hypoxia, cytoglobin and hypoxia-inducible fac-tor-1α expression gradually increased in SH-SY5Y cells. Flow cytometry showed that with increas-ing duration of hypoxia, the proportion of normal cells significantly diminished in the transfected and non-transfected groups. The proportion of cells in the early stages of apoptosis increased. However, the proportion of apoptotic cells was significantly lower in the transfected group compared with the non-transfected group. These results demonstrate that cytoglobin and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α are strongly up-regulated by hypoxia, and that there is a strong relationship between hy-poxia-inducible factor-1α and cytoglobin during hypoxic injury.     

Protective effect of prion protein via the N-terminal region in mediating a protective effect on paraquat-induced oxidative injury in neuronal cells

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders caused by a posttranslational, conformational change in the cellular isoform of the prion protein (PrP(C)) into an infectious, disease-associated form (PrP(Sc)). Increasing evidence supports a role for PrP(C) in the cellular response to oxidative stress. We investigated the effect of oxidative stress mediated by paraquat exposure on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. A loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and subsequent reduction in ATP production were demonstrated in untransfected SH-SY5Y cells, an effect that was ameliorated by the expression of PrP(C). Cells expressing either PrP-DeltaOct, which lacks the octapeptide repeats, or PrP-DA, in which the N-terminus is tethered to the membrane, showed increased sensitivity to paraquat compared with cells expressing wild-type PrP(C) as shown by reduced viability, loss of their membrane integrity, and reduced mitochondrial bioenergetic measurements. Exposure of prion-infected mouse SMB15S cells to paraquat resulted in a reduction in viability to levels similar to those seen in the untransfected SH-SY5Y cells. However, "curing" the cells with pentosan sulfate restored the viability to the level observed in the SH-SY5Y cells expressing PrP(C). These data would indicate that the molecular mechanism promoting cellular resistance to oxidative stress had been compromised in the infected SMB15S cells, which could be reinstated upon curing. Our study supports the hypothesis that PrP(C) expression protects cells against paraquat-induced oxidative injury, demonstrates the significance of the N-terminal region of the protein in mediating this protective effect, and also shows that the biochemical consequences of prion infection may be reversed with therapeutic intervention.     

Low levels of Bax inhibitor-1 gene expression increase tunicamycin-induced apoptosis in human neuroblastoma SY5Y cells

A human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line with a low level of Bax inhibitor-1 expression was established by lentivirus-mediated RNA interference and fluorescence-activated cell sorting.In control SH-SY5Y cells,tunicamycin treatment induced endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis;however,after Bax inhibitor-1 gene knockdown,cell survival rates were significantly decreased and the degree of apoptosis was significantly increased following tunicamycin treatment.In addition,chromatin condensation and apparent apoptotic phenomena,such as marginalization and cytoplasmic vesicles,were observed.Our findings indicate that Bax inhibitor-1 can delay apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress.