Doxorubicin Attenuates BDNF mRNA Expression in Hippocampal Neuronal Cells

Background and Objective: Doxorubicin is a common anticancer agent used in the treatment of several types of cancer. However, doxorubicin is associated with numerous adverse effects such as cardiotoxicity and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to examine the expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) mRNA in hippocampal neurons, which is well established to play an essential role in regulating cognitive function. Materials and Methods: Hippocampal neurons (H19-7) were cultured in 24-well plates and 6-well plates and treated with three different concentrations of doxorubicin (250, 500 and 1000 nM) for 12 hrs. MTT assays were evaluated on 24-well plates to measure cell survival, after which the neurons were collected and homogenized using lysis buffer for the evaluation of BDNF mRNA expression. Results: The MTT assay showed that there was no difference in the survival rate of cells treated with 250 nM doxorubicin compared with the control. However, 500 and 1000 nM doxorubicin-treated hippocampal neuronal cells revealed a dose-dependent reduction in survival rate. In addition, studies of BDNF mRNA expression revealed that there was a significant reduction in cellular mRNA expression at all doxorubicin concentrations (p<0.01 for 250 and 500 nM, p<0.001 for 1000 nM) compared with the control group. Conclusion: Doxorubicin treatment potentially induces memory impairment in chemobrain by altering BDNF mRNA expression in the hippocampus.

Automated summary

This study revealed that doxorubicin treatment has dose-dependent effects on the survival rate of hippocampal neuronal cells and the expression of BDNF mRNA.