PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF RESVERATROL AGAINST CORTICOSTERONE-INDUCED NEUROTOXICITY IN PC12 CELLS

Objective: Resveratrol(RES) is a natural polyphenol which possesses an anti-depressant effect. However, the mechanisms of its anti-depressant effect remain unclear. The aim of the study is to investigate the potential mechanisms in the neuro-protective efficiency in the corticosterone-induced pheochromacytoma 12 (PC12) cells. Methods: PC12 cells were treated with 200 mu M of corticosterone in the absence or presence of different concentrations of RES for 24 h. Then, cell viability was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Apoptosis of PC12 cells was measured by Annexin V-FITC and Propidium iodide (PI) labelling. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins including Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 was determined by western blotting. Results: The results showed that treatment with 200 mu M of corticosterone induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. However, different concentrations of RES (2.5 mu mol/L, 5 mu mol/L and 10 mu mol/L) significantly increased the cell viability, suppressed the apoptosis of PC12 cells, down-regulated Bax and caspase-3 protein expression, and up-regulated Bcl-2 protein expression, compared to the model group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Resveratrol has a protective effect on corticosterone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, which may be related to the apoptosis via inhibition of apoptosis-related proteins and displays the antidepressant-like effect.