Influence of Myo-inositol Plus Ethanolamine on Plasmalogens and Cell Viability during Oxidative Stress

Previously, we demonstrated that treatment of rats with myo-inositol plus ethanolamine (ME) elevated brain ethanol amine plasmalogens (PE-Pis) and protected against phosphine-induced oxidative stress. Here we tested the hypothesis that ME treatment elevates PE-Pls in a neuro-2A (N2A) cell culture system and protects against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress, and we assessed the effects of treatments using myo-inositol with or without (+/-) ethanolamine on ethanolamine phospholipids (PLs) and cell viability following H2O2 exposure. Cells were treated with equimolar amounts (500 mu M) of myo-inositol, ethanolamine (Etn), or their combination (ME) for 24 h, followed by an additional 24 h exposure to 650 mu M H2O2. NMR analyses evaluated the treatment effects on Etn PLs, while LC-MS/MS analyses assessed the molecular species of Etn PLs preferentially affected by ME and H2O2 treatments, especially PE-Pls and their degradation byproducts-lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) and glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPE). Only ME influenced the cellular levels of PLs. ME yielded a 3-fold increase in PE-Pls and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (p < 0.001) and a preferential 60% increase in PE-Pls containing saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (SFA+MUFA), while polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) species increased by only 10%. Exposing cells to 650 mu M H2O2 caused a significant cell death (56% viability), a 27% decrease in PE-Pls, a 201% increase in PUFA-rich LPE, and a ca. 3-fold increase in GPE. H2O2 had no impact on PE, suggesting that LPE and GPE were primarily the byproducts of PE-Pls (not PE) degradation. Surprisingly, ME pretreatment ameliorated H2O2 effects and significantly increased cell survival to 80% (p < 0.05). Cellular PE-Pls levels prior to H2O2 treatment were highly correlated (R-2 = 0.95) with cell survival, suggesting a relationship between PE-Pls and cell protection. Data suggest that a preferential increase in PE-Pls containing SFA+MUFA species may protect cells from oxidative stress. Such studies aid in our understanding of the neuroprotective mechanisms that may be associated with plasmalogens and the relevance of these phospholipids to neurodegenerative diseases/disorders.