Objective: To investigate the protective effects of ginkgolides on glucose deprivation-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells and the mechanism underlying the protective effect.
Method: PC12 cells were treated under glucose deprivation, and the proliferation was determined by tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of Bcl-2, Bax, c-myc were measured by Fluorescence Quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR).
Result: Ginkgolides could markedly inhibit the injury of glucose deprivation on the PC12 cells and increase the cell proliferation compared with the model groups (P <0.01). Ginkgolides could up-regulate Bcl-2 and down-regulate Bax and c-myc at 12 h, respectively. There were no significant differences in the Bcl-2 and Bax levels in both groups at 24 h, and ginkgolides only reduced the elevation of c-myc from 4. 32-fold to 2. 87-fold at this time.
Conclusion: Ginkgolides are able to protect the injured PC12 cells against cell apoptosis. During the early period of glucose deprivation, Bcl-2, Bax and c-myc were regulated to inhibit cell apoptosis by ginkgolides. After that, ginkgolides seems inhibit the apoptosis through attenuating the elevation of c-myc.