Neuroprotective Mechanism of Corydaline in Glutamate-Induced Neurotoxicity in HT22 Cells

Abstract

Glutamate-mediated oxidative stress causes neuronal cell death by increasing intracellular Ca 2+ uptake, reactive oxidative species (ROS) generation, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) to the nucleus. In the current study, we demonstrated that corydaline exerts potent neuroprotective effects against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Treatment with 5 mmol/L glutamate increased cellular Ca 2+ influx, ROS generation, MAPK activation, and AIF translocation. In contrast, corydaline treatment decreased cellular Ca 2+ influx and ROS generation. Western blot analysis revealed that glutamate-mediated MAPK activation was attenuated by corydaline treatment. We further demonstrated that corydaline treatment inhibited the glutamate-mediated translocation of AIF to the nucleus. We propose that corydaline is a promising lead structure for the development of safe and effective neuroprotectants.