Objectives: Reactive oxygen species can induce cell apoptosis, and oxidative stress has been implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Tomatine, which is a naturally occurring steroidal glycoalkaloid isolated from Solanum cathayanum, has shown potent anti-oxidant properties.
Methods: In this study, we used the SH-SY5Y cell line as an in vitro model and investigated the protective effect of tomatine against hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 )-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells.
Key findings: Tomatine might inhibit the release of cellular lactate dehydrogenase, increase anti-oxidant enzyme activity and glutathione content, reverse the downregulated protein expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), inhibit expression of Bax and activations of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in H2 O2 -induced SH-SY5Y cells.
Conclusions: Tomatine exerted beneficially neuroprotective effect on H2 O2 -induced SH-SY5Y cells, mainly enhancing intracellular anti-oxidant enzyme activity and BDNF expression, inhibiting H2 O2 -induced oxidative stress as well as expression of Bax and activations of caspase-3 and caspase-9, alleviating H2 O2 -induced SH-SY5Y cell injury and cell death.
Keywords: SH-SY5Y cell; apoptosis; neurotoxicity; reactive oxygen species; tomatine.
© 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.