Abstract. Oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species generation have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis. In the present study, the neuroprotective effects of selegiline against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in hippocampus-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) were evaluated. NSCs isolated from neonatal Wistar rats were pretreated with different doses of selegiline for 48 h and then exposed to 125 µM H 2 O 2 for 30 min. Using MTT and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assays, acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the effects of selegiline on cell survival, apoptosis and the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and heat shock protein 4 (Hspa4) in pretreated stem cells were assessed compared with a control group lacking pretreatment. The results indicated that the viability of cells pretreated with 20 µM selegiline was significantly increased compared with the control group (P<0.05). Additionally, 20 µM selegiline increased the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and Hspa4 (P<0.05 vs. control) and suppressed oxidative stress-induced cell death (apoptosis and necrosis; P<0.05 vs. control and 10 µM groups). From these findings, it was concluded that selegiline may be a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of neurological diseases mediated by oxidative stress.
IntroductionThe most common neorodegenerative disorders, namely Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), are prevalent in ~1% of individuals aged 60 years and older (1). Their etiologies remain uncertain, though there are a number of established pathogenic factors, including oxidative stress, neural apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and inflammation (2,3). Neuroprotective therapy has been suggested to prevent disease progression by inhibiting the action of pathogenic factors, for instance, by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (4). Overproduction of ROS may cause oxidative damage to biomolecules and subsequently DNA damage, ultimately leading to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. According to studies on PD, inhibitors of type B monoamine oxidase (MAO), including selegiline [also known as (-)-deprenyl] and rasagiline, are among the most promising neuroprotective agents identified to date (5-7). MAO exists in two forms, MAO-A and -B. The catalytic activity of these enzymes generates H 2 O 2 and nitrogen species, which are toxic products that may cause oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and thus have potential implications for apoptosis, aging and neurodegenerative processes (8). The MAO-B inhibitor, selegiline, is typically recommended as a first-line treatment for PD and has been demonstrated to possess neuroprotective functions (9); notably, this inhibitor protected neuronal cells against induc...