Cell damage and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress have been involved in various neurodegenerative diseases. This study aims to explore the neuro-protective effects of quercetin on PC12 cells apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and the underlying mechanisms. The cell viability was detected, as well as the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of the cells in control, H(2)O(2) and quercetin groups. It finally turned out that quercetin might protect PC12 cells against the negative effect of H(2)O(2) by decreasing of LDH release, ROS concentration and MDA level and regaining the GSH-Px and SOD activities. To investigate the mechanism, LY294002 was introduced, the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and Akt phosphorylation (p-Akt) were examined by Western blot analysis. The data showed that LY294002 almost had the same effects with H(2)O(2), which was also significantly reversed by quercetin could enhance Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and adjust the p-Akt expression, which indicated quercetin might protect PC12 cells against the negative effect of H(2)O(2) via activating the PI3K/Akt signal pathway.
Keywords: Apoptosis; PC12 cells; oxidative stress; phosphatidylinositol-3-kinas/Akt signal pathway; quercetin.