Aluminum-induced apoptosis in cultured cortical neurons and its effect on SAPK/JNK signal transduction pathway.

Aluminum exposure and apoptotic cell death has been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanisms by which aluminum interacts with the nervous system are only partly understood. In this study, we used cultured cortical neurons to investigate the ability of aluminum to induce the apoptosis of neurons and to explore the role of SAPK/JNK (stress-activated protein kinase or c-jun N-terminal kinase) signal transduction pathway on the apoptosis induced by aluminum.