Neuroprotective effects of aromatic turmerone on activity deprivation-induced apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons.

Abstract

Ar-turmerone, which is a major bioactive component found in the essential oil derived from Curcuma longa, has been reported to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines. Recently, ar-turmerone has been reported to increase the proliferation of neuronal stem cells, in contrast to its actions in cancer cells. These observations raise the possibility that ar-turmerone serves specific functions in neuronal cell lineages. However, the effects of ar-turmerone on postmitotic neurons remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective functions of ar-turmerone in primary cerebellar granule neuronal cultures. We found that ar-turmerone increased the survival of neurons following activity deprivation. Consistently, the induction of cleaved caspase-3, a hallmark of apoptosis, was prevented by ar-turmerone, although neither the level of reactive oxygen species nor the mitochondrial membrane potential was affected. This study reports a neuroprotective function for ar-turmerone, providing new insights into the potential therapeutic applications of ar-turmerone for neurological disorders.

• Authors: Yuya Saga, Yudai Hatakenaka, Miho Matsumoto, Yuri Yoshioka, Shinichi Matsumura, Nobuhiro Zaima, Yoshiyuki Konishi
• Journal: Neuroreport (Neuroreport) Vol. 31 Issue 18 Pg. 1302-1307 (12 16 2020) ISSN: 1473-558X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 33165195 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Ketones
• Neuroprotective Agents
• Reactive Oxygen Species
• Sesquiterpenes
• ar-turmerone
• Casp3 protein, mouse
• Caspase 3

Topics

• Animals
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Caspase 3 (drug effects, metabolism)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Cerebellar Cortex (cytology)
• Ketones (pharmacology)
• Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial (drug effects)
• Mice
• Neurons (drug effects, metabolism)
• Neuroprotective Agents (pharmacology)
• Primary Cell Culture
• Reactive Oxygen Species (metabolism)
• Sesquiterpenes (pharmacology)