Studies on the effects of protocatechuic acid on cell proliferation and apoptosis in cultured neural stem/progenitor cells
Guan S., Liu TQ., Ge D., Ma XH., Cui ZF.
Aim: To investigate the effects of PCA on cultured neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) proliferation and basal apoptosis. Methods: NS/PCs obtained from 14-day-old rat embryos were propagated as neurospheres and cultured under normal condition with or without PCA for the indicated time. The cell viability was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) test, while cell proliferation was assayed by bromodeoxyuridine ( BrdU) labeling. Results: After 4 days, basal apoptotic cells were detected and PCA significantly reduced the levels of apoptosis of NS/PCs. Treatment with 0.06 mmol·L-1 PCA caused 140.32% ±9.17% increase in cell viability compared with the control. Furthermore, on day 4 and day 7, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in NS/PCs was depressed by 43.8% ± 4.7% and 54.5% ± 6.1%, respectively, and caspase-3 activity was decreased by 70.6% ± 4.4% and 62.3% ± 5.5% respectively. Conclusions PCA can increase the cellular viability of NS/PCs and stimulate cell proliferation in a dose-and time-dependent manner.