Protective effect of nicotine on tunicamycin-induced apoptosis of PC12h cells

Neurosci Lett. 2004 Nov 11;370(2-3):244-7. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.08.029.

Abstract

Nicotine has been reported to have neuroprotective effects. The present study deals with the neuroprotective effect of nicotine on the tunicamycin-induced apoptosis of PC12h cells. Treatment of PC12h cells with tunicamycin causes endoplasmic reticulum stress leading to apoptosis. Nicotine dose-dependently prevented the tunicamycin-induced apoptosis. Hoechst 33258 staining demonstrated the protective effect of nicotine against tunicamycin-induced apoptosis. Treatment with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channel (L-VSCC) antagonists prevented the nicotine-induced protective effect. A phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor had no influence on the nicotine-induced neuroprotective effect. These results show that the neuroprotective effect of nicotine occurs through nAChRs including the alpha 7 subtype and L-VSCC in PC12h cells and not through the PI3-K/Akt pathway.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Benzimidazoles
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Cholinergic Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Chromones / pharmacology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Interactions
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Morpholines / pharmacology
  • Nicotine / pharmacology*
  • Nicotinic Agonists / pharmacology*
  • PC12 Cells
  • Rats
  • Tunicamycin / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Tunicamycin / toxicity*

Substances

  • Benzimidazoles
  • Cholinergic Antagonists
  • Chromones
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Morpholines
  • Nicotinic Agonists
  • hoechst 32258
  • Tunicamycin
  • 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one
  • Nicotine