Protective effects of curcumin on acrolein-induced neurotoxicity in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells.

Background: Aging is one of the most important inevitable risk factors of Alzheimer disease (AD). Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the process of aging. Curcumin has been proposed to improve neural damage, especially neurodegenerative injury, through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, we investigated the effects of curcumin on acrolein-induced AD-like pathologies in HT22 cells.

Methods: HT22 murine hippocampal neuronal cells were treated with 25μM acrolein for 24h with or without pre-treating with curcumin at the selected optimum concentration (5μg/mL) for 30min. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured by CCK8 assay and flow cytometric analysis. Levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by a GSH assay kit or commercial assay kits, respectively. Alterations in the expression of BDNF/TrkB and key enzymes involved in amyloid precursor protein (APP) metabolism were assessed by western blotting.

Results: Data showed that curcumin significantly reversed acrolein-induced oxidative stress indicated by depletion of GSH and SOD, and elevation of MDA. The findings also suggested curcumin's potential in protecting HT22 cells against acrolein through regulating the BDNF/TrkB signaling. In addition, acrolein-induced reduction in A-disintegrin and metalloprotease, and the increase of amyloid precursor protein, β-secretase, and receptor for advanced glycation end products were reversed either, and most of them were nearly restored to the control levels by curcumin.

Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the protective effects of curcumin on acrolein-induced neurotoxicity in vitro, which further suggests its potential role in the treatment of AD.